The Pride of Sunnydale
by The Saint Of Killers
Summary: When Xander is possessed by a different animal spirit on his fateful trip to the zoo, a new champion against the darkness is born on the Hellmouth. With new options available to him, Xander's different choices and actions cause ever expanding ripples in the tapestry of fate. With the future of the Scoobies changing with every step, will they still succeed in saving the world?
1. The Pack

**Chapter 1 – The Pack**

Xander watched the Zebra's mate with an oddly forlorn look. Not that he was reminiscing about zebras or sex, because he was inexperienced with both. Not both as in at the same time because that would just be sick and wrong and- Xander ignored the zebras and their humping. Xander's thoughts returned to Jesse and how much fun he would have had teasing Willow and her red face as she watched nature in action. Xander grinned at that thought.

"Too real for ya, Wills?"

"They shouldn't let them do that there are small children here and they could be traumatized and scarred for life or begin to engage in dangerous perversions or go down a criminal path because of being confronted with the imagery of animals rutting in heat before their minds are mature enough to comprehend it!"

"I think you're supposed to use more punctuation than _that_ Willow. Besides, it's not like we didn't watch things like that on the discovery channel when we were little kids. Ergo, my initial question." Xander smirked at Willow as she goggled at him. Didn't think he'd actually use that word of the day calendar she gave him did she?

"You do use it!" Willow's smile lit up the already sunny day. Xander was struck for a moment with how pretty she looked. Xander's brain froze. Willow was pretty? Well, damn, she _was_ pretty!

"Of course. Did you doubt my veracity?" Xander tasted the word as he spoke it. Veracity was as manly a word for truth as he'd ever heard. Willow's smile seemed to grow even larger and brighter, if Xander's sudden urge to blink was to be believed. Over Willow's shoulder Xander spotted Buffy looking at the plaque in front of the elephant exhibit. "Look, there's Buffy." Xander jogged over to his blonde friend. "Hey! Buffy!"

Buffy turned to find her friends coming over. Still feeling sad over her encounter with Kyle and his band, Buffy was only able to muster a weak smile for her friends.

"You missed it!" Willow didn't notice her less than peppy demeanor. Xander caught Buffy's look while she was facing Willow. He'd plastered enough phony smiles on his own face to recognize one on someone else.

"Missed what?" Buffy asked.

"We just saw the zebras mating!" Xander nodded to Willow, who had spotted the action in the Zebra pen. "Thank you, very exciting..."

"It was like the Heimlich, with stripes!" Willow seemed to have gotten over her disapproval of the Zebra's mating in public.

"And I missed it. Yet _somehow_ I'll find the courage to live on."

"Where were you?" Willow asked.

"Uh, I was looking at the fishes."

"Was it cool?" Buffy turned to Willow, not believing that the question was sincere until she saw Willow's earnest face.

"It was fishes," Buffy said dryly. Xander finally twigged onto why Buffy was feeling down. It was probably her calling. If anyone needed a will to live, it was Buffy. If she started feeling down to the point that she didn't fight her hardest… okay, it was time for the Xan-Man to step in with a good dose of humor. He took a few quick steps to get slightly in front of Buffy.

"I'm feelin' that you're not in the field trip spirit here." Buffy looked at him for a moment before she suddenly found herself speaking.

"Well, it would- it's nothing, I… We do the same zoo trip at my old school every year. Same old, same old." It wasn't the truth, but she didn't want to drag her two friends down with her.

"Buffy, this isn't _just_ about looking at a bunch of animals. This is about **not** being in class!" Xander knew this would work. After all, it was the reason he loved the Zoo trip. Buffy's smile told him that he had struck pay dirt.

"You know, you're right! Suddenly the animals look shiny and new."

"Gotta have perspective." Xander looked over his two friends and their beaming faces. A point for the class clown and double score for advanced vocab, the Xan-Man was on a roll!

***BTVS***

Buffy, Willow and Xander watched as Kyle and his gang forced Lance under the yellow tape and into the Cat House exhibit.

"What are Kyle and his buds doing with Lance?" Willow was worried. Lance was a fellow geek and Kyle, Tor, Rhonda and Heidi were nothing but trouble.

"Oh, playing with him as a cat plays with a mouse." Xander started to psyche himself up. He knew he would have to be the one to save Lance in order to help Buffy keep her secret identity secret. Kyle and Tor talked a tough game but after having fought and won against vampires night after night- okay, fought and survived against- alright! Managed to not get _totally_ destroyed by vampires night after night, Kyle couldn't be that bad.

"What is it with those guys?" Buffy asked.

"They're obnoxious. Professionally." Willow said.

"Well, every school has 'em. So, you start a new school, you get your desks, some blackboards and some mean kids," put in Xander.

"Yeah, well, I'd better extract Lance before-" Buffy began moving forward until Xander's hand shot out in front of her.

"I'll handle it. This job doesn't require actual slaying." Xander ducked under the tape and jogged into the Cat House. Buffy and Willow turned to each other.

"You don't think we should follow?" Buffy was worried about Xander being able to defend himself from the four bullies.

"Kyle and those guys are jerks, but they're all talk." Willow tried to reassure Buffy until she remembered some of the more disturbing rumors about Kyle and Tor. "Mostly."

"Why don't we..." Buffy tilted her head to the exhibit.

"Yeah, why don't we?"

Almost as soon as they ducked under the tape they were caught by a zookeeper.

"Oh, hold it, hold it, are you **blind**, or are you just illiterate? Because hyenas are very **quick** to prey on the weak," the zookeeper told them.

"Oh, w-we were just gonna take..." Buffy hedged.

"You're not going in there. Anyone that does is in a world of trouble."

"No, no one's going in there," Willow said as she and Buffy scrambled out. They couldn't afford to get into trouble, especially on a field trip.

"Why is it off-limits?" Buffy asked.

"It's a quarantine. There are hyenas in there that just came in from Africa, so keep out." He paused. "Even if they call your name."

"What are you talking about?" asked Buffy

"The Masai tribesmen told me that hyenas are capable of understanding human speech. They follow humans around by day, learning their names. At night, when the campfire dies, they call out to a person. Once they separate him, the pack," he snapped his fingers, "devours them."

"Oh, is that all," said a very disturbed Willow. The zookeeper didn't catch her subtle sarcasm.

"Well, there is _that_, and the fact that lions are mortal enemies of hyenas. Both groups have been really revved up since they came into close proximity. We've been trying to figure out how to move them for a while now. The board won't let us just tranq' the animals and the animals aren't letting anyone get close to them. At least, not without losing a body part or two."

***BTVS***

The hyenas yipped wildly. In an enclosure next to them, a lion stalked back and forth, tossing his mane every few steps. The lion was visibly disturbed by all the activity around it. Xander rushed in to find Kyle and Tor trying to force Lance's head closer to the bars. Xander ran up to Lance and tossed Tor away from him, causing Tor to fall to the floor. He pulled Kyle's arms off of Lance and moved Lance aside in order to face off directly with Kyle.

"Why don't you pick on somebody your own species?" Xander said.

"What, are _you _gonna get in my face?" challenged Kyle.

The hyenas chose that moment to growl, pulling the attention of everyone except Xander, who was focused on Kyle. The hyenas' eyes flashed green, followed by Kyle and his gang's eyes all flashing green. The lion roared as soon as the four human's eyes flashed green, which made Xander turn to look at him. The roar seemed to shake the room. Xander looked into the lion's eyes as they flashed gold.

From above, a Masai ceremonial circle could be seen painted on the floor, extending into the hyena pen. The circle also extended onto the lip of the lion's pen. A single drop of paint seemed to have traced its way over the lip and into the enclosure.

Lance stumbled over a chair as the lion roared. The four bullies turned around and laughed at Lance as he fell. Lance rose, grabbed his sketchbook and ran out. Xander turned around to make sure Lance escaped and his eyes flashed a golden color. The four bullies immediately jumped away from Xander as he turned back around. A deep growling sound, a lion's growl, emanated from Xander as he glared at the four bullies.

***BTVS***

Buffy ordered a croissant and a coke. Grabbing her order, she and Willow sat themselves at an unoccupied table. Willow glanced around the Bronze but did not find Xander.

"I thought Xander would be here by now," she said.

"Hmm, that'd make him on time. We couldn't have that!" Buffy wasn't as worried. Xander was late to _everything._

"Did he seem upset at all on the bus back from the zoo?" Willow had asked Xander what happened back in the Cat House, especially after they had seen Kyle and his gang running away. Xander's succinct reply of "scared 'em" was strange, even for Xander.

"About what?" Buffy had enjoyed the rest of the trip and was glad that Xander hadn't been hurt confronting the bullies. In fact, Xander had earned some points for saving the day.

"I dunno. He was quiet." Willow knew **that** was truly not-Xander behavior.

"I didn't notice anything." Buffy grinned at the chance to tease her friend. "But then again I'm not as hyperaware of him as, oh, say, for example, you."

"Hyperaware?" Willow asked, confused.

"Well, I'm not constantly monitoring his health, his moods, his blood pressure..."

"130 over 80!" Willow replied with a grin.

"You got it bad, girl!" Buffy laughed.

"He makes my head go tingly. You know what I mean?"

"I _dimly_ recall." Buffy's last attempt at dating had been the disaster with Owen.

"But it hasn't happened to you lately?" Willow asked in disbelief.

"Not of late." Buffy wondered if it ever would.

"Not even for a dangerous and mysterious older man whose leather jacket you're wearing right now?" Willow asked with a teasing smile.

"Goes with the shoes!" Buffy replied in indignation.

"Come on, Angel pushes your buttons. You know he does." Willow wondered why Buffy wasn't considering Angel.

"I suppose some girls might find him good looking..." Buffy glanced at Willow and saw the skeptical look Willow aimed at her "...if they have eyes, alright, he's a honey, but... it's just he's never around, and when he is, all he wants to do is talk about vampires, and... I, I just can't have a relationship-"

"There he is!" Willow exclaimed, pointing over Buffy's shoulder.

"Angel?" Buffy asked as she turned.

"Xander!"

***BTVS***

Xander felt strange. In many ways he felt good, very good. He felt better than he had in his entire life in fact. He'd felt weird since his confrontation with Kyle. Xander still couldn't believe he had intimidated them into running away. Afterwards, he was assaulted with odd sensations. His senses seemed to be acting strangely, like someone had given them a boost but hadn't told him. The sensations made him feel disoriented.

As he stepped into his house the stale stench of alcohol and sweat and puke almost made him vomit. Covering his nose, he made his way up to his room, opened the window and sat down on his bed. The afternoon sun streaming in through his window felt good on his skin. He lay back on his bed, intending to rest for only a moment. He woke up hours later, the chill breeze of the Sunnydale evening waking him.

Xander almost leapt from the bed. He bounced on his heels for a bit. That was some nap! Xander didn't feel any of the aches and pains he was used to from his nightly activities. The blow to the shoulder a vamp had given to him two nights ago no longer hurt him. And the blows from his… from Tony didn't ache anymore.

Xander took a deep breath, the chilly air invigorating his lungs. Unfortunately, the stench from his parent's usual activities had seeped into the room as well. Xander coughed for a moment before stepping to his closet. He was supposed to meet his girls at the Bronze tonight.

After he pulled off his shirt, Xander noticed it was caked with sweat. His nose wrinkling in disgust, Xander changed his plans and picked up a towel. After an hour long shower and thoroughly cleaning every inch of his body and hair, and even using conditioner and his mom's body wash, Xander spent another 30 minutes in front of the sink, grooming himself. Finished, Xander looked himself over in the mirror and grinned. Damn, he looked _good!_

Whether it was an inflated self-image or simply part of Sunnydale syndrome, Xander never noticed the increased definition of his body, nor the fact that most of his body hair was gone, nor that his hair had actually grown an inch. Foregoing mousse and other hair products, Xander simply wet his hair and combed it back before shaking his head vigorously. The result was a natural, if somewhat tame, mane.

Back in his room he dressed in a grey t-shirt and black jeans, clothes he didn't wear normally because they were tight on him. After putting on a pair of boots he had picked up at the army surplus, Xander paused in thought. He came to a decision and pulled out a black leather jacket out of his closet. Despite his public stance of not caring what others thought, he knew that the jacket was too cool for him and that he'd be ripped off the moment he took it to school. That was no longer a concern for him. He liked it and he was damn sure going to wear it.

Reaching into the back of his closet, Xander pulled out his nascent war chest. He didn't have very many weapons yet, but a squirt gun filled with holy water and two hickory stakes he had carved in the wood shop classroom would serve for protection. Deciding to forgo an encounter with his drunken parents, Xander jumped from his open window to a nearby tree, easily catching himself on a branch and climbing down quietly from there.

***BTVS***

The trip to the bronze had been rather odd for Xander. Several times he had to quell an irrational urge to roar and announce his presence. Xander knew that that being conspicuous was not of the good. Although, why the **hell** did he feel like roaring? That was strange behavior, even for him. Stopping for a moment, Xander tried to figure out what he was feeling. He felt like something was wrong with... his land? Why would he think of Sunnydale that way? It was his town not his...pride? What was going on?

Xander looked around and noticed that he was standing in front of a dark alley near the bronze that was notorious for vampire attacks and he had been completely unaware of his surroundings. After taking a quick glance around, Xander moved swiftly towards the bronze. Once there, the bouncer waved him in with barely a glance. Where do they keep finding these guys? Xander knew the bronze hadn't been closed for more than a day after the harvest before opening the next night, all the workers who had died replaced by new employees. Who ran this place anyway?

Walking into the Bronze, Xander was momentarily disoriented by the myriad of sensations that assaulted him. He stumbled for a moment before righting himself and forcing his nausea away. Filtering out the bright lights, the cacophony of sounds and the mix of scents, Xander centered himself with a deep breath. In doing so, his mind latched onto two scents in particular that he identified as... his? Shaking away the thought, Xander spotted Buffy and Willow. With Xander focused on his two friends, he didn't notice the appreciative looks from the females around him or the wary glances from some of the males as he headed toward them.

"Girls!" Xander said expansively. Damn, he was glad to be back together with his pride. Wait, pride? What the hell?

"Boy!" said Buffy, interrupting Xander's reverie.

"Sorry I'm late, I... just forgot that we were gonna be here," Xander began to apologize, wondering what he should tell them about his weird behavior when he spied Buffy's croissant. "Hungry!" Xander tore off a piece and ate it in one bite.

"Xander, you still want me to help you with geometry tomorrow?" Willow asked him as she and Buffy watched him take a swig of Buffy's soda. "We can work after class-" She stopped as Xander gave her a thumbs-up.

"Yeah," Xander turned to Buffy, "What is this?" he asked, pointing at the remains of Buffy's food.

"Well, it **was** my buttery croissant." Buffy huffed at him. She couldn't believe the jerk hadn't even asked!

"Man, we need some food! Birds live on this!" How was he supposed to get full with bread? Where was the meat?

Buffy and Willow shared a look, both wondering if the other understood what was going on. Seeing no comprehension on the others' face they both turned to Xander for an explanation. Xander gazed at them both. Their presence filled his senses. Then he noticed the looks directed at him.

"What?"

"What's up with you?" Buffy asked him directly. Willow chose a more circumspect route.

"Is something wrong? Did I do something?"

"Of course not, what could you do wrong? I'm just feeling…" Xander searched for the right word, "…restless." That's about as good a word as any other, he thought.

"Well, we could go to the ice cream place..." Willow suggested.

"Nah, don't want dessert," Xander replied. He needed** real** food!

Xander looked around the dance floor of the bronze. He felt so connected to everyone, so **aware** of everything around him. He took a deep breath. There was an odd scent nearby, something dangerous, something _familiar_. Xander leaned over to Buffy and sniffed her hair.

"Okay, now what?" said Buffy, irritated with his strange behavior.

"You took a bath." Xander said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Yeah, I-I often do, I'm actually known for it." Buffy was thoroughly confused.

"That's okay." Xander stood up and took another breath. That strange scent was definitely coming from Buffy, but it wasn't her. The longer he concentrated on it, the more it made him feel wary. That scent meant bad news. Willow and Buffy exchanged another look. This was starting to get wiggy for the both of them.

"And the weird behavior award goes to..." Buffy said, trying to break the sudden tension. Xander trashed her efforts when he leaned in close to her again and sniffed her shoulder. Buffy and Willow stared at him, not quite believing what they were seeing. Xander didn't notice. His focus was on the scent. It was coming from the jacket!

"Where did you get the jacket?" Xander asked Buffy intently. He finally recognized the smell.

"W- Why?" Buffy asked. Xander's sudden change in demeanor startled both her and Willow.

"Did you find it? Buy it at a pawn shop?"

"No…" Buffy shook her head. Where was he going with this?

"Did you take it off a vamp?" Xander's brow was now furled. The scent coming off her was a mixture of blood and sweat and death and dust. He knew because it triggered two of his worst memories. Getting caught in the trap in the sewers by the horde of vampires and when he dusted Jessie. He'd never forget either event.

"What?" Buffy asked nonplussed.

"Did you take it off a vamp? It's okay if you did, you know." Xander's looked softened. She was probably embarrassed to get caught looting. Xander didn't feel there was anything wrong with looting. It was featured in every RPG ever made, after all.

"No, I didn't take it off a vamp." Xander's frown returned. If she bought it new then why did it smell like a vampire?

Xander opened his mouth to ask her where she got it when he spun around to face the front door. Buffy and Willow looked over and saw Kyle and his gang come in like they owned the place.

"Oh, _great_, it's the winged monkeys."

Rhonda and Tor shoved people out of their way, making way for Kyle. Heidi lagged behind, snickering, but watched their backs. Unwittingly, they came right up to Buffy and Willow's table. They stopped and immediately focused on Xander. Buffy stood up to flank Xander, drawing a glance from the pack of bullies. Willow, not wanting to be left behind, stood up as well but stumbled. Her movement drew Tor and Heidi's attention. They snickered and looked at her hungrily. Willow made a squeaking noise as Xander reached around and pulled her behind him. Buffy saw the move and tilted her head questioningly at Xander. He didn't notice. These _scavengers_ had threatened his pride!

Buffy and Willow both started at Xander's growl. Heidi, Rhonda and Tor turned to Kyle. He looked from Xander to Buffy and back. He shook his head and the rest of the pack followed him as he backed away. Xander, Buffy and Willow followed them with their eyes as the pack retreated to the other side of the Bronze where they ultimately kicked a lone guy away from his table and claimed it as their own. Xander's nose twitched. They couldn't relax here and there was no food for them.

"Come on, let's go to Denny's." Xander began to walk away, paying attention to the pack all the while. Willow and Buffy shared another look. Willow shrugged her shoulders. Buffy nodded hesitantly and they both followed Xander out.

***BTVS***

"I'm not getting this," said Xander.

"It's simple, really. See, 'The bisector of a vertex is the line that divides the angle at that vertex into two equal parts.'" Willow explained. Xander struggled to follow her explanation. There were too many sensations to concentrate properly, especially with all the hormones in the air from all the pubescent teenagers. Xander shook his head and looked back down at his homework.

"It's like a big blur, all these numbers and angles."

"It's the same stuff from last week. You had it down then." Willow said patiently. Why was he so scatterbrained now?

"Why do I need to learn this?" asked Xander.

"'Cause otherwise you'll flunk math?"

"Explain the part where that's bad." Xander said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He managed to keep a hold of himself at the Bronze. Think, how did he do it then?

"You remember, you fail math, you flunk out of school, you end up being the guy at the pizza place that sweeps the floor and says, 'Hey, kids, where's the cool parties this weekend?' We've been through this." Willow noticed Xander rubbing his right temple. "Do you have a headache?" Willow reached up and touched his temple.

The moment she made contact with his skin Xander sighed as his whole being focused on his Willow, on her scent, on the feel of her skin. He leaned further into her hand. When she pulled away, mistaking his movement for him shaking her off, Xander reached up and clasped her hand. He pulled it to his face and pressed his cheek against it, inhaling deeply.

Willow blushed profusely. Xander had been affectionate throughout dinner last night. She had not been expecting him to continue acting the same way during school. After a long moment Xander pulled away, but didn't let go of her hand.

"I'm sorry about being so distracted Wills. I'll try again, okay?" Willow nodded. Xander smiled and moved next to her so she could look over his shoulder. Willow was acutely aware of Xander as he sat between her legs, her entire front pressed up against his rear left side. With Willow filling his senses, Xander's disorientation dissipated and he was able to concentrate. He made great progress, Willow's joyful reactions spurring him on.

Inside the school, after her workout with Giles, Buffy met the school mascot Herbert. While she was helping Principal Flutie put Herbert away she noticed Herbert's extreme reaction as Kyle and his pack walked passed his room.

***BTVS***

Xander, Buffy and Willow stood across from the pack. Because of the sudden burst of rain they were all forced to stay inside and staying inside meant playing dodge ball. All of which meant that the coach could indulge in his sadistic tendencies and force the students to commit violence against each other.

A shrill blast from the coach's whistle started the game.

The pack easily dodged the balls sent their way and began taking out members of the other side where they could. Buffy took out several other players, taking care not to injure anyone and easily dodging any balls sent her way. Xander concentrated on Willow. She wasn't as gifted as Buffy and would need help. Plus, Xander thought, the smile that she and Buffy sent his way every time he saved her didn't hurt.

Once it was down to just the pack and the Scoobies, Heidi and Rhonda smiled evilly at each other. Heidi nudged Tor who threw a ball at Xander, forcing him to dodge away from Willow. Heidi then threw a ball straight at Willow. Xander dove in front of Willow, catching the ball meant for her. Once he hit the ground, Rhonda threw the ball she had been hiding behind her back. With hyena-spirit enhanced strength, Rhonda's ball smacked into Willow's face, knocking Willow off her feet.

"Willow!" Xander tossed his ball aside and rushed over to her, Buffy following a step behind. Xander pulled Willow up and cradled her in his arms. He pulled her hands away from her face to see that the ball had struck her nose. Xander saw blood come out of her nose causing a raging fury to build up inside him. When he looked over at the pack they were cackling at Willow's injury. Tearing off the sleeve of his shirt Xander gently pressed the cloth against Willow's nose.

"I'm so sorry Willow; I didn't see the other ball. I let them hurt you."

"S'okay Xa'der. I should go do da 'urse's office." Xander and Buffy both helped her up and walked her out of the gym. Once the doors closed Xander span around and glared at the still laughing bullies.

"**Buffy**."

Buffy jumped at the anger in his voice. Xander turned to face her. She was confused for a moment before her slayer instincts kicked in. An unspoken message passed between them. Buffy nodded. They walked back in front of the pack with a purpose.

Kyle stopped laughing first as Buffy and Xander moved in front of him. Xander casually kicked a ball up to Buffy, who caught it and launched it, full-strength, at the pack. They scattered in different directions. Kicking another ball over to Buffy, Xander picked up the last ball on their side and launched it at Rhonda. It crashed into her face, flipping her over, breaking her nose and knocking her out. Xander caught the ball as it rebounded back towards him.

Buffy picked up the second ball Xander kicked toward her and threw it at Tor's face. It struck him in the eye and he collapsed to the ground. The first ball Buffy had thrown bounced off the back wall and bounced over to her, reaching her as soon as her throw was finished. She scooped this ball up and nailed Heidi in the mouth with it.

Heidi fell back toward Kyle, who jumped straight up, spreading his legs so she would pass under him. Xander took his shot at that moment and nailed him in the crotch, forcing his body into a flip. Kyle landed breathlessly on his back and immediately curled up into a fetal position.

Buffy smirked at the bullies. Xander walked over and rubbed his cheek against hers. The gesture was so casual and guileless that Buffy returned it instinctively. The rest of the students and the coach watched in awe as Xander and Buffy walked into the locker rooms, intent on joining their friend.

"**God**, that was brutal," said the coach breathlessly, "I _love_ it!"

***BTVS***

"Xander, **stop **apologizing."

"Sorry."

"Xander!"

Xander opened his mouth then closed it. How was he supposed to apologize for irritating her with his apologies? He pouted at Willow. Willow thought he looked _so_ cute!

"It's not your fault, okay? You weren't the one who threw the ball," Willow told him.

"I should have protected you," insisted Xander.

"How?"

"I don't know! But I should have done something. It's my job to protect you."

"Why is that, mister?"

"You're my Willow."

The caring and sincerity in Xander's voice made Buffy and Willow melt inside. Willow hugged her best friend and crush fiercely.

"It's okay. These things happen, Xan. And you did keep me from getting hurt even worse. What if one of the balls from Kyle or Tor had hit me? You saved me from a lot of their throws."

"Yeah, Xander," Buffy chimed in, "you can't protect everyone all the time." Buffy's mood turned melancholy. "I know."

Xander looked over at Buffy. She was always saddened whenever she heard about an attack. But, she was right; you can't protect everyone all the time. However, Xander knew that he would do anything in his power to protect his pride. Xander pulled Buffy into Willow's hug with his free arm.

"Thanks you two. Now, c'mon, we need to get to class."

***BTVS***

"That was **not** meat," complained Xander.

"C'mon Xander, it's called mystery meat-" Buffy started before Xander interrupted her.

"Yeah, but there was no _meat_ in it! You can't call it mystery meat and **not** put any meat in it! There are laws against that! Now to mention the fact that now I'm still hungry!"

"But you ate it all!"

"Okay so I did. But, c'mon Buff, when you're craving your jelly donuts are you going to be satisfied with a _donut hole_?"

Buffy had to concede that Xander was correct. Or, at least, he had a point about food cravings. Her friends had learned early on to not get between the Slayer and her jelly donuts.

"If you're really hungry, we could go to the buffet after school?" suggested Willow.

"_Yes_, I am _all_ for _that_ plan. What do you say, Buff?"

"Sounds good, but I need to check in with Giles first."

"Good thing we're already here then," said Xander as he held the library door open for his two friends. Both Willow and Buffy graced him with a smile for his manners. Stepping in, Xander scanned the library. He couldn't see him but Xander knew that Giles was around. "Ahoy the office!"

"Xander, that greeting only works if we're both at sea!" said Giles as he stepped out of the library's office.

"Well, the counselors always say I'll end up adrift on the sea of life, so I figure I should get some practice." Xander watched Giles carefully as he finished his response. A slight upwards twitch of his mouth was Giles' only giveaway that Xander's humor had any effect. Oh, you're good, thought Xander, but I'll get you to crack one of these days, Mr. Stiff-upper-lip.

"I-I-Is there a reason for this visit, or are you here merely to, to torment me?"

"Would we do that?" asked Buff innocently.

"Um, how should I put this… yes."

"We were just checking to see if Buffy could go eat with us afterschool, or if there was, you know," Willow mimed a few punches. Both Xander and Buffy couldn't believe how weak and girly her punches looked.

"Um, someone having a, um, seizure?" Giles asked Willow.

"No! I meant Slayer stuff! You know," Willow, mimed her punches again, "training and stuff."

"Good lord Willow, are those meant to be punches?"

"What's wrong with my punches?" asked an affronted Willow.

"I hate to break it to you Wills, but you punch like a girl. Even for a girl."

"Xander!" cried Willow.

"Come on Buffy, back me up here!"

"Okay, first thing, **hey** to sexist comments! Second, you do punch like a girl. Sorry."

"See, told ya!"

"I'd like to see you do better mister!" Willow didn't realize it at the time, but being bullied by Kyle and company brought back painful memories of when she was younger. At the moment she was taking her friends' gentle teasing far too seriously.

"Of course I can." Xander assumed a boxing stance and threw out a one-two combination. The speed and force of his punches caused his leather jacket to snap loudly. Giles and Buffy were both impressed. Buffy recognized a good punch instinctively. Giles, on the other hand, saw the flaws in Xander's technique, but realized they weren't glaring. He realized Xander would make an able combatant with a bit of training.

"Okay, so you can do better." Xander watched Willow as she crossed her arms and pouted. He stepped over to his friend and gave her a hug.

"Hey, don't be mad. You know I picked up some stuff growing up. Kinda had to, y'know?"

"Yeah, I remember. I don't think Larry has ever forgiven you for beating him up."

"You beat up Larry?" asked Buffy. Neither she nor Giles could hide their disbelief. Larry was much larger and more athletic than Xander.

"Well," said Xander as he released Willow, "it _was_ in the third grade, before the puberty fairy gave him a double dose of growth formula."

"Ah, I see, in any case, there may be something of note," Giles started. "It seems that the new school mascot was, was eaten."

"Something **ate** Herbert?" asked a horrified Buffy.

"As far as can be determined, someone broke into its cage and ate the, the, the animal. There was apparently nothing left but bones."

"That's terrible," said Willow.

"Someone ate a raw pig?" asked Xander.

"Apparently," replied Giles. "Needless to say, Principal Flutie is quite livid."

"And you think this might be something we need to look into?"

"Well, at the moment, the only lead is Kyle and his ilk. They were seen in the vicinity of Herbert's cage around the time he was discovered."

"It sounds just like them to do something cruel like hurting a defenseless animal," said Willow. Her comment drew everyone's attention except for Xander, who had gone quiet at the mention of Kyle and his pack.

"Yeah, there's nothing at all strange about that, sad as it is to say," added Buffy.

"Yes, well, you're most likely right. As long as you come back for patrol today, I don't see why you can't go eat after school."

"You're the best Giles, thanks!"

"You're, you're welcome." Giles shook his head ruefully. No one ever told him he would have to make these sorts of compromises when he became a Watcher. Who knew that teenage girls could be so troublesome?

***BTVS***

"I know there's a saying about eating the lion's share but I don't think they meant _that_. I don't think they'll let us back in here."

"Aw, c'mon Willow. I know me and Buffy ate a lot but we weren't _that_ bad."

"The manager was crying."

"Okay, so you might have a point," said Buffy. "Anyways, I know why I pigged out, Slayer metabolism and all. I just don't get where you put it all?" Buffy asked Xander. Xander merely grinned and slipped his right arm out of his jacket, pulling the sleeve of his t-shirt up with his left hand as he flexed his right arm.

"I put it right here!" he said. Xander's grin clearly told his audience that he was joking. What did not escape the notice of the two girls was the fact that Xander's arm was actually very well defined.

"Wow, have you been working out Xander?" asked Buffy.

"Just going out hunting with you," said Xander, "must be a nice side effect." Xander looked himself over. "How do I look?" he said as he shrugged his jacket back on. Buffy and Willow both looked him over, their thoughts in agreement. Xander was definitely looking good today.

"You look good actually. Much more coordinated. Plus, the less baggy look suits you," said Buffy. Willow could only blush and nod in agreement. Xander blinked at her for a moment, not expecting that response at all. He shook his head to break himself out of his stupor.

"Cool. Hey, should we check in with Giles now? It'll be sunset soon."

***BTVS***

"Lu-cy! I'm ho-ome!"

"Xander, could you please stop with your, your, your ridiculous greetings?"

"No can do G-Man. I've made it my personal mission to knock the stuffiness out of you one pun at a time."

"What?"

"Pretty soon, I'll have you in shorts and flip flops. Maybe even a Hawaiian shirt or two."

Giles stared at Xander as he bit the inside of his cheek. The cheeky bugger was actually going to make him crack! He decided to go on the offensive.

"I absolutely refuse to de-evolve into a, a, a silly colonial. In any case, there is a problem. Principal Flutie is dead." Giles waited a moment for the exclamations of shock to die down. "The official explanation is that he was attacked by wild dogs."

"Where was he that he was attacked by wild dogs?" asked Buffy.

"He was, um, in his office."

"How the hell does that happen!" exclaimed Xander.

"No one knows. That only other information I could glean is that the last people to see Flutie alive where Kyle, Tor, Rhonda and Heidi. They were called into Principal Flutie's office. His secretary found Flutie an hour later, after he didn't answer his door."

"Do you think that…" Willow couldn't even finish the thought and Giles was kind enough to not force her.

"I don't know. Their behavior is certainly like wild animals, but they have never demonstrated any violence of the sort described to have been committed against Principal Flutie."

"What makes you think that their behavior is animal like?" Xander asked Giles intently.

"Um, they, they, they prey on the weak, establish a, a pecking order, and travel in a pack."

"A pack?"

"Yes. Surely you have noticed how inseparable they are?"

"You said that Principal Flutie looked like he was attacked by wild dogs. Could hyenas have done that sort of damage?"

"Xander, I don't understand what that-"

"Giles! Could it have been hyenas?"

Giles stared at the suddenly very intense young man. This entire line of inquiry seemed to be ridiculous but the urgency of Xander's tone was undeniable.

"I-i-it is possible. Hyena's are related to canines and exhibit many of same-" Giles stopped as Xander suddenly paled and stumbled back, ending up sitting on the table behind him.

"What's wrong?" asked Willow.

"Xander?" asked Buffy. Being closer, she moved to place a hand on Xander's arm. Xander looked over at her hand and followed her arm up to her face. He looked very frightened. He suddenly seemed to focus on her then shook his head. He stood up and addressed Giles again.

"Can someone be possessed by an animal?"

Xander's question ended up setting off a flurry of research, after he explained his suspicions and the events of his encounter in the Hyena House. He left out looking into the Lion's eyes, since he honestly couldn't remember that event. His mind put pieces together and he told them that the lion's roar must have unnerved them enough for his aggressive stance to scare them. Since Xander exhibited no drastic change in personality, the group assumed that he had escaped being possessed.

"The Masai of the Serengeti have spoken of animal possession for, for generations. I... I should have remembered that," muttered Giles.

"So how does it work?" asked Buffy.

"Well, apparently there's a, a sect of animal worshipers known as Primals. They believe that humanity, uh, consciousness, uh, the soul, is a, is a perversion, a dilution of spirit. Uh, to them the animal state is holy. They are able, through trans-possession, to, to, um, draw the spirit of certain animals into themselves."

"And then they started acting like hyenas," stated Xander.

"Well, only the most predatory of animals are, are of interest to the Primals, so, uh, yes, yes, that would fit, yes."

"So, what happens to the person once the spirit's in them?" asked Buffy. No one noticed Xander's wide eyed glance at Buffy snap into an attentive look towards Giles.

"If it goes unchecked..." Giles handed Buffy an open book. The contents of the page made Buffy blanch. Xander pulled the book out of her grasp as Willow moved to read over his shoulder. The page was open to a drawing of dismemberment and cannibalism. Willow paled and turned away. Xander closed the book, hiding his trembling right hand behind the book.

"You said 'if it goes unchecked'. How do you check it?" Xander asked.

"Well, if the, the traits of the possessed individual, are, are similar to the possessing animal spirit, then they can control or subdue the spirit. Of course, they should have sufficient willpower as well."

"How do you know if they have sufficient willpower?"

"Um, they, they would be able to master the animal instincts. Most animals do certain actions as a matter of instinct and inborn behavior. Like, like, like Lions roaring to announce their presence and claim their territory. If someone has sufficient willpower they would feel the need to perform these actions but, um, they would be able to resist and continue to act in a human manner."

"And since they ate someone, Kyle, Heidi, Tor and Rhonda don't have the willpower," said Xander.

"Yes, despite, despite the fact that the animals possessing them seem to suit them, they can't control the animal instincts."

"Well, it says here," said Willow as she pointed to the computer monitor in front of her, "that after a full day's activity, hyenas generally settle down for a nap. It's pretty hot for them so they're going to seek a lake, or stream, or mud bed, or dense shrubs to sleep near."

"They're at Victoria Park," stated Xander.

"How-" began Buffy before Willow interrupted.

"Oh! Oh! That's right! It has everything a hyena would want for a bed!"

Xander burst into motion, pulling out one of the bokkens he had noticed in the weapons cage and tossing a staff to Buffy. He stopped before walking out of the cage and picked up a knife, strapping it onto his belt, behind his back. Buffy looked at him questioningly. "Just in case."

"Xander, do you think it wise to accompany Buffy-"

"We already took them down once today Giles. They may be trying harder now but we can still take them. Right Buff?"

"Absolutely. We'll bring them back here. In the meantime, you and Willow can find a way to reverse what happened." With that, Buffy and Xander ran out of the library. Willow went to find some books but Giles just stood there looking at the door.

"Um, Giles? Shouldn't we…" Giles upraised hand stopped her. A moment later and Xander and Buffy stormed back in, looking sheepish.

"Uh, Giles, you wouldn't happen to have some rope?" asked Buffy.

"Handcuffs? Zip-ties?" added Xander.

Giles smirked at them.

***BTVS***

Buffy and Xander walked around the lake, examining clumps of dense bushes for any signs of the possessed teenagers. They ended up stumbling across several bums. The snap of a twig led them into the nearby brush. Xander's eyes widened as he caught sight of a large, shaggy, three eyed dog-like demon… dog.

The demon lunged at Buffy, claws outstretched and mouth opened to bite her. Before she could react, Xander pushed her out of the way, placing himself in front of the demon. Her furtive cry to him died in her throat as Xander thrust the bokken he was wielding into the middle of the demon's three eyes. The bokken burst out the other side of the demon's skull as it fell limply in front of Xander. Xander wrenched his weapon out and scanned his surroundings before moving over to Buffy.

"You okay?" he asked as he extended a hand to help her up.

"What was that about!" asked a flustered Buffy.

"Uh, sorry? I saw the thing come at you and just reacted," said Xander. Buffy stared at him for a moment before looking back at the demon. It had managed to surprise her completely. It would have gotten a good hit in before she would have been able to mount a defense. She looked back at Xander.

"Um… thanks."

"What are friends for? Now come on, we need to find the hyenas."

After searching for several minutes, the sun having completely set now, Buffy spotted a woman running away from a clump of bushes. After they entered the clearing, Xander and Buffy saw the teenagers sleeping. As they got closer Tor suddenly woke up and looked right at them. He began yipping, waking the others. The other three awoke and gathered into a group with Kyle in the lead. They growled at the two interlopers. Xander and Buffy shared a glance at the group's animalistic behavior. Kyle chose that moment to pounce and leapt at Xander.

Xander dropped his bokken and met Kyle's charge head on with a tackle. They both tumbled to the ground and began wrestling with each other.

Buffy used her staff to knock Tor's charge aside, circling her staff around behind her to maintain space between her and Heidi. A jabbing poke caught Rhonda in the forehead as she made to flank Buffy. Rhonda fell, holding her throbbing forehead.

Kyle used his greater mass to gain leverage over Xander, pinning him to the ground. Xander got his feet under Kyle and kicked Kyle away from him. Xander quickly scrambled to his feet and stopped suddenly, Giles words echoing in his mind. "…_they would be able to master the animal instincts… to resist and continue to act in a human manner."_

Buffy whipped her staff around to catch a hunched Tor between the shoulder blades, opening him up for a kick to the jaw. The possessed teens were stronger and faster than she had anticipated. It was almost like fighting a vampire. Stepping up the speed and power of her attacks she managed to catch Heidi with a slashing sweep to the head. The blow sent Heidi spinning to the ground, clearly unconscious. Rhonda tackled Buffy from behind, making Buffy lose her grip on the staff.

Xander focused on the fight. He desperately wanted to pounce on Kyle, to strangle him with his jaws. Xander ignored the urge and instead focused on the strength and anger behind the instinct. He waited as Kyle charged at him, waited until Kyle was within arm's length of striking him. Xander jabbed, crunching Kyle's nose and stopping his forward momentum. Almost simultaneously he struck with a right straight, snapping Kyle's head back and reversing his velocity. Xander's combination would have been the envy of any professional boxer: a one-two delivered in the space of a single jab.

As Kyle fell, Xander turned to check on Buffy and watched as she pushed Rhonda away from her. Xander rushed over and picked up the sprawled Rhonda by the scruff of her neck, cocking his hand back for a knockout blow. He hesitated, his mind flashing back to several awful memories. Sure, she was a possessed teen, but she was still a girl, a woman. Xander dropped his hand.

"Allow me." He looked over to see an irate Buffy. He quickly pushed Rhonda over to her. Buffy knocked her out with a quick hook to the jaw.

"Thanks Buff. It's easier to do that when they're vampires. Then I'm not scared I'll turn around one day and find that I've turned into _that_ guy." Xander's expression darkened momentarily. Buffy, who had been looking around at the time, did not notice.

"What guy?" asked Buffy.

"The guy that hits women."

"I don't think you have to worry about that Xan. I can't imagine you ever being that kind of guy."

"Thanks Buff," said Xander as he pulled some quick-ties out of his jacket pocket.

"Anytime."

***BTVS***

On the way back to the library, Buffy asked Xander how he was able to handle fighting the bullies with their enhanced strength. Xander stumbled for a moment but then brushed her question away, saying that he was used to fighting things with that level of speed and strength. After weeks of patrol he could only have improved, after all.

His answer placated Buffy but sent his mind into turmoil. How _had_ he managed to hold his own against the enhanced bullies, here **and** during dodge ball? And why wasn't he growing tired of carrying **both** Kyle and Tor? He knew why Buffy wasn't growing tired but he wasn't a Slayer. He thought back to the answer he gave Buffy, remembering when he had flexed his arm earlier today. He had put on quite a bit of muscle without noticing. Maybe all the patrolling _had_ buffed him up?

Xander's musing was cut short as they entered the library from the rear entrance. In the middle of the library a large Masai ceremonial circle was painted. In the center of the circle stood Willow, held hostage with a knife to her throat by a red haired man. Giles lay crumpled near the edge of the circle. Xander growled, dropped Kyle and Tor, and took a large step forward. Willow's whimper stopped him dead.

"Ah-ah-ah! Stay right where you are! I've had enough interference from those four, I won't have you meddlesome kids fucking this up for me."

"Hey, I know you! You're that creepy zookeeper!"

"Shut it, blondie! Now, drop your weapons, both of you." Xander and Buffy dropped their bokken and staff. The zookeeper smiled. "Good, good, now, bring those four over here into the circle." Buffy and Xander picked up Kyle, Rhonda, Heidi and Tor and walked over to the circle. "Stop! Leave them just inside the circle. No reason for you two to get closer. Now take the librarian and all of you leave the circle." The moment that all three of them cleared the circle, the zookeeper grinned triumphantly. "**Yu Ba Ya Sa Na!**"

The four bullies twitched against their bonds as their eyelids jerked open, green light shinning from their eyes. The light, like a stream of smoke, was pulled out of their bodies, coalescing into one mass before shooting into the zookeeper. The zookeeper seized and screamed as the light entered him fully inadvertently sending Willow and the knife he had been holding flying.

"Willow!" cried Xander as he rushed over to her. Buffy wasted no time in engaging the zookeeper. She tried to land a jump kick but the zookeeper ducked around to Buffy's backside and slashed her shoulder, his newly elongated nails gouging into her flesh. Buffy stumbled her landing as she shook off the pain of her wound. The zookeeper pounced at her but Buffy's roundhouse kick knocked him aside. The zookeeper was hardly fazed by her blow, and returned with another slash that cut up the forearm Buffy put up to block his attack.

After he checked on Willow, who was now trying to wake Giles, and pulled the four bullies out of the circle, Xander watched Buffy and the zookeeper fight. The zookeeper was faster and stronger than Buffy but reliant on his animal instincts to fight. Buffy's slayer-given fighting skills helped her keep him at bay, but she was clearly losing the battle.

The zookeeper managed to grab Buffy's wrist. Buffy punched with her other hand but the zookeeper grabbed that wrist as well. She struggled to break free of his grip but he was stronger than she was. The zookeeper pulled her arms apart and leaned forward to bite Buffy. Startled, Buffy reacted like any other teenage girl, instead of the slayer, and flinched away from the zookeeper, turning her face away and closing her eyes. Suddenly she felt the zookeeper let go as her arms jerked to the left.

Buffy opened her eyes to see the zookeeper off to her left with Xander's right fist flush against the zookeeper's neck. Xander jerked his arm down making the zookeepers throat explode in a spray of blood. Buffy finally caught sight of the bloody knife in Xander's hand. Her gaze was drawn back to the zookeeper when he began scrabbling at his neck. The zookeeper turned and reached for Xander but fell to his knees, a wet gurgling sound coming from his ruined throat as his blood spilled down his chest.

Xander stepped back, his eyes never wavering from watching the dying zookeeper. Green lights began to glow from the ground. Xander and Buffy both scrambled out of the circle where a stunned Willow watched in horrified fascination while she kneeled over a slowly awakening Giles.

"Uh, did I miss- Good Lord!"

The green lights coalesced into six vaguely hyena shaped forms. The zookeeper's eyes widened and he tried to scream. Instead, he made a horrible wheezing sound as blood sprayed from his wound. The six forms pounced on him, dragging him into the floor. The entire ceremonial circle flared a bright green before it too faded away; taking the zookeeper's spilt blood with it.

"Is everyone alright?" Xander's question shattered the silence that encased the library. Buffy, Willow and Giles all started and turned to face him. Xander was not looking towards any of them but continued to stare at where the zookeeper had disappeared. Buffy, Willow, and Giles glanced at each other before Buffy spoke.

"We're good."

"Kyle and company should just be unconscious. At least, that's what we read," said Willow. The mention of the bullies' presence seemed to jerk Xander out of his reverie.

"Right. Giles, Willow, check them over; make sure whatever got into them got out while me and Buffy get cleaned up."

"Buffy and I, Xander," corrected Giles absently. Xander smiled

***BTVS***

Xander splashed water on his face to try and calm himself down. His thoughts were spinning, one after the other. Xander had been consumed by an urge to devour the zookeeper while he watched him die. It had been a great struggle for him but he had managed to hold out until the zookeeper had disappeared. He'd felt horrified by his own urges afterwards. He'd sat there, staring at the last place the zookeeper had been, wondering if he would have been able to master himself completely if the body was still there. He looked at himself in the mirror. Whatever this was, he _had_ to beat it, before he became like Kyle and the others. He walked outside where he ran into Buffy.

"Hey, so uh, are you really okay?" Xander stared at Buffy, a thoughtful look on his face. She waited for him silently, realizing that he was gathering his thoughts together. After waiting long enough for the moment to turn a bit awkward, Xander took a deep breath to tell her that he wasn't alright.

When he breathed in, everything seemed to become clear. He smelt blood, the zookeeper's blood, and the blood of the demon that had attacked them earlier. Overpowering those scents was the smell he knew as Buffy. In that moment he realized the truth. He would do anything to keep her safe. He _needed_ to keep her safe. Xander knew then he would kill again, if he had to, in order to keep Buffy, and Willow, and even Giles safe.

Xander stepped forward and swept Buffy into a hug that lifted her off the ground.

"**Ack!** Xander!"

Xander turned his face so his mouth was next to her ear.

"I'm so glad that you're safe Buffy." His voice was hoarse with barely restrained emotion. He set her down and stepped back, trying to distance himself from the up swell of emotions he felt every time he was near Buffy.

Buffy stared at Xander as if she had never seen him before. In fact, she felt like she _hadn't_ seen him before. He seemed to be a goofy guy. Certainly, he was brave, but he still seemed to be like any other slacker or class clown. Buffy looked at Xander and realized that he had killed the zookeeper tonight to keep her safe. That he had killed that demon earlier tonight to keep _her_ safe.

She wasn't sure what or how to feel about someone being willing to kill for her, but she knew, _knew_ that Xander would do it for Willow too. Overcome, Buffy could only reach up and hug Xander.

"Thank you." Xander heard her clearly, despite her whisper. He wrapped his arms around Buffy, holding her close, and rubbed his cheek against hers. After they let go, Xander spoke.

"You're welcome." Buffy's answering smile was one of the most beautiful things Xander had ever seen. "Now, come on, let's see if everything's back to normal." Xander tilted his head in thought for a moment. "Well, as normal as it gets on a hellmouth."

***BTVS***

He spit the dirt out of his mouth. He felt sore and bruised and caked with sweat. Slowly, ever so slowly, he climbed to his feet, brushing foliage and dirt off his body. He jumped when he realized that he was naked. What the hell happened to him? Why did the air smell like crap?

He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He was in a small clearing surrounded by jungle. The air not only stank but it was sweltering and the air pressed down on him oppressively. He peered in between the trees, but he couldn't see anything. Where was he?

A sharp, staccato giggle pierced the air. What was that? Something about the sound tugged at his memories but his mind was fuzzy. Laughter and whooping joined the sound of giggling. He knew what that sound was! It was hyenas! Of course, now he remembered…

He started running, as fast as he could. The branches of the jungle trees cut into him, but he didn't slow down. He tripped over a rock, scraping himself along the floor. He picked himself up and continued running as the sounds of laughter approached closer to him. He ran until he found himself in a clearing.

It was the same clearing he started in.

He spun around in a panic. This **couldn't** be happening. This **wasn't** happening. None of the texts mentioned anything like **this**. His hands leapt to his throat. He was fine, there was no pain. How could this be?

He ran in a different direction, leaping through the brush and between the trees. A branch caught him in the forehead as he was running past. The cut bled into his eye, making it hard for him to see. Wiping at the wound didn't seem to do any good. The air was far too humid to be able to wipe it clean. He stumbled into a clearing. He looked around. He screamed.

The sounds were getting louder. He could hear rustling now. He sat down in the middle of the clearing, hugging his knees to his chest and started rocking back and forth. This isn't possible. This can't be happening. How could he have gone in a circle if he ran straight ahead?

Something tackled him to the ground. He felt teeth press into his shoulder and saw another shape coming toward him.

He screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.


	2. Angel

**Chapter 2 - Angel**

Xander woke up with a start. That was an incredibly strange dream. Who dreamt of roaming along great grass plains? Then there were the endless blue skies, hunting with his pride, taking down wildebeest and buffalo and… Okay, so it wasn't that strange. Xander had simply never dreamt of being an animal before. And he had never had dreams that were so vivid, not since that one in the Bronze where he and Buffy… not for a while. This dream seemed so real that he could almost taste the air.

He breathed in deeply, expecting to still smell the fresh air of the savannah. He received a lungful of his parent's predilections instead. After his coughing fit, Xander got out of bed. He had finally fallen asleep late last night but it wasn't restful. He needed to speak to Giles, maybe, and figure out how to control this. He'd managed, so far, but he didn't want to feel like he did last night.

He stumbled on the way to the bathroom. He'd killed the zookeeper last night. His hands started shaking. He'd killed a man last night. He felt bile rising in his throat. He'd killed another human being!

He'd killed a human being that was going to kill Buffy.

His shaking stopped. He knew why he'd done it. Remembering that moment, with the zookeeper moving to bite her throat, he knew he'd do it again. There wasn't any reason to angst over it. Xander took a deep breath and stepped into the bathroom to get ready for school.

An hour later, rushing out the door, Xander wondered what on earth had possessed him to spend so much time getting ready for school. He'd never spent so much time grooming himself in the mornings. Since when did he turn into a… oh. Right. Animal instincts, of course. Wait, did they really… remembering his dream last night, Xander realized that they did. Huh, now you know. And knowing is half the battle!

Xander grinned. Maybe he could wield a sword like Snake Eyes? He'd have to learn to use it first. He wondered if Giles might- school! He had to get to school!

Taking off at a sprint, Xander pushed himself as fast as he could. It wasn't until he almost bumped into someone that he slowed down. However, when he turned around to apologize he saw that he had continued for a block and a half before he had stopped. He _definitely_ needed to talk to Giles.

***BTVS***

Giles sat in his chair, cradling his cup in his hands. There had been a lot more meetings since Principle Flutie's untimely demise. It was unfortunate that they had not been able to prevent the possessed children from murdering the headmaster. It couldn't be helped really; they had pieced the clues together as quickly as they could. Xander had been of great help last night. Hopefully this was a sign of increased maturity.

"Wots aul this then?"

Or, perhaps, it was not. Giles spun his chair around to face Xander.

"Xander that was the most overdone accent I've ever heard." Giles sighed. "Sadly, as most Yanks think they're very clever, I hear far too many. And you are most definitely _not_ a constable."

"But I was going for Bobbie!"

Giles fought very hard to keep from cracking a smile.

"_Xander_."

"Sorry! Sorry. Um, I have a, uh, a question." Xander fidgeted. How was he going to ask this?

"Yes?" Why was the boy dithering?

"Yeah, you see… you train Buffy, right?"

"Yes, that is one of my duties as her watcher."

"Well, you know lots of different stuff right, like, uh, kung fu stuff?"

"I, um, I am familiar with m-many different fighting styles." Giles wondered where Xander was going with this. It was certainly an odd series of questions to ask.

"Well, I was wondering if you knew some, uh, mental stuff. You know, to be able to focus and… stuff."

"Xander, are, are you asking me to tutor you?" While not necessarily within the purview of his cover, he'd certainly be glad to help him advance academically.

"No! No, I do that with Willow. I, uh, I need to get more willpower." At Giles' raised eyebrow, Xander continued, "You know how I was there when the hyenas possessed Kyle and his gang? I want to make sure if something like that happens again I won't lose control. That and all the martial arts books mention meditating and other mental exercises."

"Oh, well, there are several things I could, I could teach you, of course. Um, tell me, Xander, why exactly are you reading books on, on, on martial arts?"

"That's easy. I want to learn how to fight. So I can help Buffy."

"A slayer is supposed to fight alone Xander, you do realize?" It was a noble sentiment, but very dangerous for a regular human being to try and take on a slayer's role.

"I remember, one girl in all the world. That's a bunch of shit Giles."

Giles started at Xander's language. As awful as most American's were, Xander usually refrained from swearing. "What, what, what do you mean?"

"No one should have to fight alone, especially a young girl. I know she's got the slayer powers, but that doesn't mean we have to throw her to the vampires!" exclaimed Xander. "Besides, how many times have we helped her already? I saved her twice just last night!" Xander stated emphatically. "And if I had known how to fight better," said Xander slowly, "I might not have needed to kill the zookeeper." Xander became silent. Giles watched as the young man in front of him collected himself.

"Giles," began Xander, "I'm in this fight for good. They killed one of my best friends. They made me finish him off! We're in danger just _living_ here. It doesn't do _anyone_ any good if we can't help, we'll just get in the way. Willow is smart, super smart, and she can help you on that end. I'm not that smart Giles, but I can take a hit and keep coming. I can fight; I just need someone to teach me better. And I need willpower. I don't ever want to not be in control. If I had more willpower I might have been able to resist Praying Mantis lady. Not to mention what could have happened if I had been possessed by a hyena too."

Xander watched Giles apprehensively. Giles silently considered the boy's words. He was right, he really was.

"All right Xander, you have more than made your point. I can train you, but you must remember that my focus is on Buffy. However, I can easily show you some mental exercises that would help with possessions. I even know one that the Masai use themselves. We'll start with that."

***BTVS***

"Ah, the fumigation party," said Willow. She looked around the Bronze and tried to see if Xander had arrived yet.

"Hmm?" asked Buffy as she wondered what to do about her life. On the one hand there was slaying. On the other there was boys. But after the Owen disaster, _of which we will speak no more_, how was she supposed to slay _and_ date?

"It's an annual tradition," explained Willow, "The closing of the Bronze for a few days to nuke the cockroaches?"

"Oh," replied Buffy absently. Hi honey! Yes, vampires are real and I go out and kill them every night. Let's go see a movie!

"It's a lot of fun... What's it like where _you_ are?" asked Willow.

Buffy looked up and smiled sheepishly at Willow. Wow, she thought, second night in a row spent moping. "I'm... sorry, I was just... thinking about things..."

"So, we're talking about a guy?" asked Willow mischievously.

"Not exactly a guy. For us to have a conversation about a guy, there'd have to be a guy for us to have a conversation about." Buffy thought about what she just said. "Is that a sentence?"

Willow smiled at Buffy's rambling. For once, Willow wasn't the one babbling. "You lack a guy," she pointed out sagely.

"I do." Oh my god, she _did_ lack a guy! "Which is fine with me, most of the time, but..."

"What about Angel?" asked Willow. Why did she have a sudden feeling of déjà vu?

"Angel?" asked Buffy skeptically. "I can just see him in a relationship. 'Hi, honey, you're in grave danger. I'll see you next month.'"

"He's not around much, it's true," answered a chagrined Willow.

"When he is around..." Buffy remembered his good looks and piercing eyes, "it's like the lights dim everywhere else. You know how it's like that with some guys?"

"Oh, yeah!" Hmm, Xander-y goodness...

Xander moved through the crowd at the Bronze, trying to make his way toward his friends. He _really_ needed to take his new grooming time into consideration. The exercises that Giles showed him had really helped with his senses. Now he could process what all the different sensations were, like the sound of the planks creaking on stage as the lead singer walked around, or the sound of bartender opening the fridge under the bar counter, or the smell of that girl in heat… hello!

In his sudden state of distraction, Xander didn't notice as Cordelia stepped back into his path and he bumped into her.

"Ouch! Please get your extreme oafishness off my two-hundred-dollar shoes!" snapped Cordelia.

"I'm sorry, I was just..." began Xander.

"…being a huge klutz, like always," Cordelia finished for him.

"Oh, so you noticed," deadpanned Xander.

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah, thanks for being so understanding."

"Sure."

"Y'know, hey, I don't know what everyone's talking about. That outfit doesn't make you look like a hooker!" Xander walked away, a smug grin on his face. Ha, he thought to himself, score one for the Xan-Man!

"Boy, that Cordelia is a regular breath of _vile_ air," said Xander as he came up to his friend's table. "What are you vixens up to?"

"Just sitting here, watching our barren lives pass us by." Willow looked down at the floor. "Oh, look, a cockroach." Willow stomped on it. Buffy briefly looked over then resumed her moping.

"Whoa, well, let's stop this crazy whirligig of fun! I'm dizzy." Xander wondered if something had happened before he got there. Buffy looked really down to him.

"Alright, now I'm infecting those nearest and dear to me," said Buffy. "I'm gonna call it a night."

"Oh, don't go!" exclaimed Willow as she watched Buffy grab her things and get up to leave.

"Uh, yeah! It's early! Also, I just got here!" said Xander rapidly in order to keep Buffy from leaving. "We could, um, dance!"

Buffy tilted her head and considered Xander for a moment. Dancing sounded like fun, but Willow… better not risk it before Willow took her shot at Xander.

"Rain check? Good night." Buffy turned around and left.

Xander let out a breath. He didn't think this situation was good at all. There were always predators at night in Sunnydale and Buffy wasn't looking out for anything at the moment.

"Want a free drink?" Willow held up her shoe to Xander's face. Xander flinched back from her shoe. The stench of the cockroach overpowered him when he inadvertently focused on Willow's shoe.

"No, not right now. Hey, did Buffy seem really sad to you?" asked Xander.

"Well… she was kinda mope-y tonight." Willow sighed. Buffy had just left and Xander was already thinking about her.

"Was she distracted?"

"Uh, yeah, really distracted," answered a now curious Willow, "Why?"

"Don't you think it's dangerous for her to go home alone in that state of mind?"

"Oh, well, it's not like… but vampires always… oh my god Buffy is the Slayer and all sorts of bad things are drawn to her like moths to a flame and usually they get burned cause she slays them but now she won't even notice them until it's too late for her to do anything about it and then she'll be killed and we'll have to explain what happened to Giles and there'll be a funeral and we'll be sad and scared because there won't be a slayer around and I don't want to lose another friend but what can we do we can't fight vampires without her…."

"Willow! Breathe! Come on, that's a good girl." Xander wondered if she would ever grow out of babbling. In the end, he decided that she probably wouldn't. For now, he needed to get to Buffy, quickly. "Here's the plan Wills. You stay here and wait for me to come back. I'm gonna go out and find Buffy, make sure she gets home safe and sound. Cool?"

"Okay, sure, I can do that," mumbled Willow as she tried to catch her breath. Xander looked her over to make sure she was okay before he rushed off. Willow called after him, stopping him momentarily. "Be careful!"

Xander nodded and then ran out the front door. Stopping a few feet in front of the entrance, Xander closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He ignored all the people in front of the bronze and the hormones they were expelling into the air. He concentrated, visualizing all the scents in his mind and filtering them. If he could just- there! He'd found Buffy's scent! He turned left and ran down the street.

Unerringly following Buffy's route, Xander arrived at an alley in time to see Buffy and Angel come running out. Stopping in front of the alley, Xander took a breath to call out to Buffy when a growl made him turn his head.

Three armored vampires were coming straight at him. Xander hopped forward, jumped up and kicked out at the middle vampire. The other two turned to look and stopped when they saw the other vampire go flying from the human's kick. One of them grabbed Xander's left shoulder. Xander turned and caught the vampire with a straight. The vampire fell to the floor.

The last vampire growled and attacked Xander. Blood flew from Xander's mouth as the vampire's punch caught him in the side of the face. Xander awkwardly blocked the vampire's follow-up punches. The vampire pressed his attack, growing angrier with each punch the human deflected.

Xander lashed out and caught the vampire with a kick to the crotch. One of the vampires tackled Xander from behind and held him around the chest, trapping Xander's arms at the same time. Xander held his ground, keeping the vampire from taking him down. Xander twisted left and right, trying to shake the Vampire off. The Vampire jumped up, trying to get his body weight on top of Xander. Xander ran backwards at that moment and squashed the vampire in between his body and the brick wall behind them.

Xander stumbled forward and looked back. The vampire was almost embedded into the wall. Xander turned his head, spotting the other vampires moving into flanking positions. One of them went to the vampire in the wall and helped him out. Xander turned his head, trying to keep all the vampires in his line of sight while he pulled out a pair of stakes. One of the vampires growled and twitched his head to the right. The other two vampires nodded. Xander watched the vampires leave warily.

A few minutes later, Xander let out a breath and sagged as the adrenaline left his system. Holy crap that was scary! Angel and Buffy were safe and he needed to go back to Willow. Maybe they should all just call it a night?

***BTVS***

"He spent the night? In your room? In your bed?" Not good, thought Xander, not good at all. This _trespasser_ was encroaching on his pride!

"Not _in_ my bed, _by_ my bed," explained Buffy.

"That is so romantic!" exclaimed Willow. She just _had_ to know, "Did you, uh... I mean, did he, uh..."

"Perfect gentleman," answered Buffy with a smile. Willow smiled back, both girls happy that Buffy's interest was a good guy.

"Buffy, c'mon, wake up and smell the seduction. It's the oldest trick in the book." Xander could clearly tell that Buffy was interested in Angel. He needed to do something about this.

"What? Saving my life? Getting slashed in the ribs?" asked an amused Buffy.

"Duh!" Xander had to keep Buffy from moving further with Angel. "I mean, guys'll do anything to impress a girl. I-I once drank an entire gallon of Gatorade without taking a breath." There, Xander thought with a smile, now she'll see that's he's only after her body.

"It was pretty impressive," said Willow. "Although later there was an ick factor," she added.

"Can we steer this riveting conversation back to the events that happened earlier in the evening?" asked Giles as he walked down the stairs, a book in his hand. Buffy took a seat and looked up at her watcher expectantly. "You left the Bronze and were set upon by three unusually virile vampires." Giles set the book he was holding down in front of her. It was open to a page illustrating the vampires that attacked her. "Did they look like this?

"Yeah. What's with the uniforms?" asked Buffy.

"It seems you encountered the Three. Warrior vampires, very proud and very strong."

"How is it you always know this stuff?" a curious and annoyed Willow asked Giles. "You _always_ know what's going on. I _never_ know what's going on."

"Well, you weren't here from midnight until six researching it."

"No, I was sleeping," said a sheepish Willow.

"Uh, o-obviously you're hurting the Master very much. He, he wouldn't send the, the Three for just anyone. We must step up our training with weapons," stated Giles.

"Buffy, you should stay at my- Willow's house, until these Samurai guys are history," suggested Xander. That'll keep her away from Angel and closer to him!

"What?" asked a perplexed Buffy.

"Ah-ah-ah, don't worry about Angel, Willow can run to your house and tell him to get out of town fast," said Xander, happy that he could kill two birds with one stone. Angel worried him but these Three were the greater threat. The enemies and the male _must_ be kept away from the pride!

"Angel and Buffy are, are not in any immediate jeopardy," supplied Giles, though he thought that Xander's idea had some merit. "Eventually the Master will send someone else, but in the mean time the Three, having failed, will offer their own lives in penance."

***BTVS***

The Three kneeled with their heads bowed before the Master. Their leader held a wooden spear in front of him. The Anointed One watched them from the Master's throne while Darla stood near the Master's side.

"Tell me, how three vampires of your age and skill _fail_?" asked the Master.

"We ambushed the Slayer near an alley. We had her, in our grasp, and I was leaning in for the kill when another interfered. A vampire." Darla perked up at the leader's words.

"A vampire, you say?"

"He was strong and smelt of animal blood. We thought he was hunting her."

"He was following the Slayer? Interesting. Do you know him?"

"No."

"Did he have dark hair and eyes, a handsome face, like an angel?" asked Darla. The Master turned to look at his favorite, examining her reaction, before turning back to the Three.

"Yes," answered one of the Three. Darla turned and began pacing.

"Now, why would a vampire be following the Slayer if not to hunt her?" asked the Master absently as he considered the information he was given.

"He has feelings for her," spat one of the Three. The Master and Darla spun to the speaker. The vampire shrank back from their gazes. "I could smell it on him," he explained.

"So, he feels for her. Pity. Still, you have failed me," said the Master as he glared at the three before him.

"We wounded the vampire, but the Slayer was able to knock us down and ran away," said the last of the Three as he stumbled over his words in his haste to speak.

"And you lost her-"

"No, there was another," interrupted the leader bravely. He knew that others had lost their lives for lesser impertinence. "She had another helper. They were strong, stronger than the Slayer."

"Oh, so the Slayer has a vampire entourage?" asked the skeptical Master.

"This one was human."

"Impossible, there is only one Slayer," said the Master.

"This one was male," explained the leader, "and not a skilled fighter. But he is ferocious, and strong, and tough. He withstood a hit that would have knocked out any human. He delayed us long enough to lose the Slayer's scent."

"Are you certain he was human and not a half-breed?" asked Darla.

"His blood is fully human." The second of the Three visibly hesitated before speaking again. "But… there is something in it… a small taste of animal."

"So there is a human whose blood carries the taste of an animal in it?" The Master stroked his chin with a clawed hand, "interesting."

"We failed in our duty and now our lives belong to you." The leader offered his spear to the Master.

***BTVS***

Xander ducked back from the punch, letting it pass in front of him. He leapt to the side and came in with a haymaker. His opponent stepped in and blocked Xander's strike at the elbow, and delivered a heavy uppercut to his solar plexus. Xander staggered back, trying to regain his breath. He let fly with his best combo, his one-two, giving him some breathing room, but he didn't connect. A kick to Xander's knee and a blocked jab to his eyes left Xander open for a hook that caught him on the jaw. The blow knocked Xander down but he rolled in the same direction, recovering his footing in a very deep crouch. Xander leapt at his opponent, looking to bring him down. His opponent rolled with the pounce, his foot in Xander's stomach. The throw slammed Xander onto his back, knocking the wind out of him.

"Very good, Xander, though your fighting style does need quite a bit of work."

"Never expected to get my butt kicked by a librarian," said Xander as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Well, that'll show you to return books late, young man," said a smirking Giles.

Xander stared incredulously at Giles as he dusted himself off.

"That was a joke!" accused Xander. "You have sense of humor!"

"Quite," said Giles. "Now, I noticed you move like a boxer when you fight. I can teach you how to be a real boxer. I-I-It's not very flashy, not at all like what you see in films, but it's also very different from what you'll find in a boxing ring."

"Huh? Isn't boxing boxing?"

"No, actually. As, as vicious as some boxing matches are, there are still illegal moves you cannot do in a match. Also, methods of training have changed in the last century. Today they train to fight with gloves. We will train in bare-knuckle boxing. This will include clinching, grappling and kicking."

"Whoa. Really?"

"Yes. There, there were little to no rules in London Prize Rules boxing. I-I-In fact, the only commonly enforced rule was that when the other person _couldn't_ fight anymore, you won. Now, the first thing you have to learn about fighting Vampires Xander is _not_ to be struck."

***BTVS***

Xander walked home in a daze. There was so much information that Giles gave him and for once he was able to learn it all. The stories Giles had told him about street fighting and demon fighting were… awesome! He couldn't believe how rough the very prim and proper librarian really was!

Xander stopped. He heard the sound of someone struggling coming from around the corner. Xander quickly ran to the corner and looked around. He could still hear the fight but there was no one there. Maybe…

Bursting into motion, Xander ran at full sprint down two streets and left one more block. Stopping at an alley, he saw two men grappling with each other. He took a quick breath. One of them was a vampire!

The vampire was in full game face, leaning in to bite his victim, when he felt an awful tearing sensation in his cheek. He growled in pain, clutching at the ruined flap of flesh. Pain exploded from the sides of his body, near his stomach, one side after the other. His body crumpled inward from the pain. He felt hands grab at his head and push him down as something hard smashed into his face, crushing his nose. He felt a sudden pain in the back of his neck before darkness claimed him.

"Run! Get out of here!" Xander yelled at the shell-shocked victim as he pushed him towards the mouth of the alley. "And go home!" he yelled after the very rapidly running man.

Xander took a few quick breaths to try an orient himself. He'd just KO'ed a vampire! A quick fishhook, two punches to the short ribs, a knee to the face and an elbow to the neck and now the new Xander was 1-0! Xander smiled. It was time to loot!

Frisking the vampire turned up a roll of twenties and hundreds in an inside jacket pocket. He pocketed the money and staked the vampire. He could count the money once he was safely home. And, maybe, he should do some research on lions, to find out if he would get any other abilities. Too bad he wasn't a lion like Lion-O. The Sword of Omens would probably kick ass against vampires.

Thunder. _Thunder_. Thunder! Thundercats! **Ho!**

***BTVS***

Xander followed the scents. It was getting easier each time he did it. Of course, he was already very familiar with the scents in question. Oddly enough, he didn't follow the scents into the school, like he did yesterday, but into the parking lot. There, he found a nervous Buffy, a concerned Willow, and a curious Giles.

"Did something happen?" asked Xander.

"How do you know something happened?" asked Buffy sharply. Xander took a step back at her demeanor.

"I don't, it's just, well, whenever we get together at odd times it's because of something odd."

"Oh. Well, something did happen, last night," said Buffy hesitantly.

"Are you all right?" asked Xander. Did those vampires manage to track her down?

"Yeah… No… I don't know. Um, well, last night…" Xander listened with growing dismay as Buffy related her story. What the hell? Why was she sniffing around Angel for? She was his… **damn**. He _really_ needed to get that under control. They were just friends, no matter what his instincts were telling him at the moment, they were _just_ friends. Sure, he'd like to be more than friends, absolutely but… where did that leave Willow? And why did he suddenly start feeling that way for Willow now? She'd always been like a sister to him. He was having distinctly un-friend-like feelings for Willow. If he could figure out if these were his feelings or just instincts- _What_! Buffy **kissed** Angel!

"Angel's a vampire?" asked a startled Willow.

Xander stared at Willow before realizing that it was _his_ priorities that were messed up.

"I can't believe this is happening," said a still stunned Buffy. "One minute we were kissing, and the next minute..." she turned to Giles and asked him desperately "Can a vampire ever be a good person? Couldn't it happen?"

Xander furiously tried to figure out what to do about the situation. He'd already made a fool of himself yesterday, when he almost suggested that Buffy stay with him. Now there was a real threat and… _maybe_ there wasn't a problem at all.

"A vampire isn't a person at all." Giles cleared his throat. "It may have the movements, the, the memories, even the personality of the person that it took over, but i-it's still a demon at the core, there is no halfway."

"So that'd be a no, huh?" asked Willow gloomily.

"Well, then what was he doing?" asked a perplexed Buffy. "Why was he good to me? Was it all some part of the Master's plan?" Buffy sat down on a bench and was quickly joined by Willow. "It doesn't make sense!" She looked up at Giles and Xander and hoped they could figure this out.

"Alright, uh..." Xander sat down next to Buffy and continued, "...you have a problem, and it's not a small one. Let's take a breath and look at this calmly and objectively." Perhaps simple logic would work. "Angel's a vampire. You're a Slayer. I think it's obvious what you have to do." Xander couldn't quite suppress his grin. Xander turned to Giles knowing that Giles would support him.

"Uh, it is a Slayer's duty..." a crouching Giles trailed off. Buffy was a very untraditional slayer.

Way to back me up there G-Man, **not**, thought Xander as he turned back to Buffy. "I-I know you have feelings for this guy, but it's not like you're in love with him, right?

Buffy looked away. How could she answer that question? She didn't even know the answer herself!

**Holy shit**, thought Xander, this could **not** be happening! "You're in love with a vampire? What, are you outta your mind?"

"What?" Xander turned and saw Cordelia, who was standing close enough to eavesdrop. As if sensing his attention, Cordelia turned from looking past the group to looking at Xander.

"Not vampire," Xander said as he thought about how to play off his outburst. He turned back to Buffy. "How could you love an umpire? Everyone hates 'em!"

They watched Cordelia pass in front of them, stalking towards a girl wearing the same dress.

"Where did you get that dress?" Cordelia asked sharply. "This is a one-of-a-kind Todd Oldham. Do you know how much this dress cost? Is this a knockoff?" Cordelia reached into the neck of the scared girl's dress and forcibly checked the label. "This is a knockoff, isn't it? Some cheesy knockoff! This is exactly what happens when you sign these free trade agreements!"

Xander looked down after the two girls disappeared into the school. Think Xander, think! How do you keep them apart? How do you get rid of Angel without looking like the bad guy?

"You think _we_ have problems..." said Buffy, glad to have a way to change the subject. Xander was getting really worked up.

***BTVS***

The gang hadn't had more time to discuss Angel before school started. Now they were looking through Giles' books, trying to find any reference to Angel. Giles came up from behind the three teens.

"Did you find something Giles?" asked Xander without turning. Giles started at Xander's question.

"Y-y-yes. I found something at last. There's nothing about Angel in the texts, but it suddenly occurred to me that it's been ages since I've read the diaries of any of the watchers before me."

Willow turned to Buffy. "That musta been so embarrassing when you thought he had read your diary, but then it turned out he hadn't, but then he felt the same way..." Willow trailed off when she noticed the look Xander was giving her. "I'm listening."

"There's mention some two hundred years ago in Ireland of, of Angelus, the one with the angelic face," said Giles.

Buffy smiled wanly. "They got that right."

A small snarl escaped Xander. The others turned to look at him. Xander quickly coughed.

"I'm not saying anything, I have nothing to say," said Xander to cover his lapse in control.

"Does this, uh, Angel have, um, a tattoo behind his right shoulder?" asked Giles.

"Yeah," said Buffy, "it's a, it's a bird or something."

"Now I'm sayin' something," said a perturbed Xander, "You saw him naked?"

"So, Angel's been around for a while," said Willow hoping to cut off Xander before he could get started.

Xander didn't understand. Buffy was part of _his_ pride. This _Angel_ was butting into _his_ pride. And he was a threat! He was a damn vampire! They killed Jesse! And now Buffy, _his_ Buffy, was crushing on one!

"Not long for a vampire. Uh, two hundred and forty years or so," elaborated Giles.

"Huh!" chuckled Buffy joylessly, "Two hundred and forty. Well, he said he was older."

"Angelus leaves Ireland," said Giles as he sat down, "uh, wreaks havoc in, in Europe for, uh, several decades, and then, um, about eighty years ago," he continued while he handed Xander one diary and opened another, "the most curious thing happens. He, he comes to, uh, to America, um, shuns other vampires, and, and lives alone. There's, there's no, no record of him hunting here."

"So he _is_ a good vampire!" exclaimed Willow hopefully. "I mean, on a scale of one to ten, ten being someone who's killing and maiming every night, and one being someone who's... not."

"I say that there's no record, but, uh, vampires hunt and kill," said Giles, hoping to impress this fact into Buffy. "It's, it's what they do."

"Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, lions gotta hunt," stated Xander firmly.

"He could've fed on me. He didn't," protested Buffy.

"Question: a hundred years or so before he came to our shores, what was he like then?" asked Xander.

"Uh, like all of them," answered Giles while looking at Buffy. "Uh, a vicious, violent animal."

Buffy's hopeful expression died away. The slayer spirit within Buffy recoiled from the thought of doing anything with a vampire except staking it. The girl within her, however, liked him. What was she going to do?

***BTVS***

This was an unmitigated disaster! How could they have let Joyce be attacked? Wasn't Buffy meant to be _safe_ in her _own_ home? Damn it, thought Xander, this could **not** happen again! But first, they needed to **end** this threat.

"Do you remember anything, Mom?" asked Buffy.

"Just, um, your friend came over, I was gonna make a snack," responded a tired Joyce.

"My friend?"

Xander opened the door to the hospital room. Giles stood in front of the door, prepared to knock. Xander waved him in then closed the door behind him.

"I guess I slipped and cut my neck on, the doctor said it looked like a barbecue fork." Joyce thought for a moment then turned to Buffy. "We don't have a barbecue fork." She turned to Giles. "Are you another doctor?"

"Oh!" Buffy is startled to see Giles. When did he come in? "Um, no, Mom, this is Mr. Giles."

"Oh, the librarian from your school!" Joyce smiled at Giles before she threw a confused look at Buffy. "What's he doing here?"

"Uh, I-I just came to pay my respects, wish you a speedy recovery," replied Giles.

"Boy, the teachers really _do_ care in this town," said an impressed Joyce.

"Get some rest now," said Buffy. She kissed her mother and the group left the room, stopping in the hall.

"She's gonna be okay. They, they gave her some iron. Her, uh, blood count was a, a little..."

"A little low. It presents itself like mild anemia," explained Giles. "Uh, you, you were, uh, lucky you got to her as soon as you did."

"Lucky? _Stupid_," stated Buffy, angry at herself.

"Buff, it's not your fault," said Xander.

"No?" asked Buffy angrily. "I _invited_ him into my home. Even after I knew who he was, what he was, and I didn't do anything about it," Buffy scoffed, "'cause I had _feelings_ for him, because I _cared_ about him."

"If you care about somebody," Willow glanced at Xander, "you care about them. You can't change that by-"

"Killing them?" interrupted Buffy. "Maybe not," Buffy shrugged. "But I think it's a start," she said with determination as she began to leave.

"Wait, I'm coming with you," said Xander, joining her, he turned to address Giles and Willow. "You two stay here and watch after Buffy's mom." Buffy stopped and looked skeptically at Xander. Xander frowned at her. "Don't give me that look. You'll need someone to watch your back. I'm coming." Buffy nodded and continued on her way.

"Buffy! Xander!" cried Giles as he rushed forward and blocked their path.

"You can't stop me," Buffy told Giles, "the Three found me near the Bronze and so did he. He lives nearby."

"This is no ordinary vampire," Giles looked around and dropped his voice to a whisper, "if there is such a thing. Now, he knows you, he, he's faced the Three! I think this is going to take more than a simple stake."

"So do I," she agreed.

***BTVS***

"The hospital has a lot of security and a lot of people around. Giles and Willow will be safe there," Xander assured Buffy.

"Maybe you should be at the hospital?" asked Buffy hesitantly.

"Buffy, I can handle myself. I've been training with Giles."

"Really? What for?"

"To help you."

"What? Why?"

"Buffy, I… when Jesse died I made a promise that I'd help you. When I heard about slayer's dying so young, I made a vow that you'd reach old age. When I helped against the possessed people, I vowed to get better so I could help more."

"But why, Xander? You could have a normal life."

"What does _that_ matter?" he asked emphatically. "I still _live_ in _Sunnydale_. I _still_ have _friends_ that are in danger every night. I don't want to be one of those guys that does nothing. I can help, I can do something." Xander took a deep breath. Maybe if he just told her? "And, and you, I…"

Buffy's breath hitched in her throat. She could read Xander's feelings easily. He'd never been very subtle about the way he felt for her.

"Xander…" came her strangled whisper. Xander shook his head. Now wasn't the time. She needed a clear head if they were heading into a fight. From everything they read about Angel they'd need every advantage to win.

"It doesn't matter right now. What matters is that I'm in this for the long haul, Buffy, and that you aren't alone in this fight. Not ever. You get me?" Buffy stared at Xander, once again seeing past the goofy façade to the man underneath. She nodded, careful not to spill the tears in her eyes.

Ignoring the way her watery eyes sparkled in the moonlight, Xander grabbed some more stakes and slid them into his pockets. Buffy loaded up a crossbow. As they made their way out of the cage, Xander spotted the knife he used to kill the zookeeper. He felt a momentary twinge that he suppressed and picked up the knife, strapping it behind his back once again.

***BTVS***

Xander fingered the stake in his pocket nervously. If he had to pull it out in a fight, it would be awkward. Maybe he could talk to Giles and get something rigged up for easier access. Or maybe he could use some of the moves Giles taught him to knock any vamps he came across silly before staking them. He eyed Buffy out of the corner of his eye. She would need his help. Her mind was still in turmoil, he could almost smell her anxiety.

As they neared the bronze they heard the sound of glass breaking. Turning the corner they found a ladder. Xander stared at the ladder suspiciously. Buffy climbed without a second thought. Xander followed, wary that this entrance was a trap for them.

On the second floor landing, Xander moved to the edge and looked over. He couldn't spot anyone on the floor. He turned to Buffy and pointed at himself, then the landing. Then he pointed at her then downstairs. Buffy nodded and moved down the stairs. Xander quietly made his way to the railing and jumped up into the rafters then moved toward the middle of the room.

Buffy reached the bottom of the stairs. The club was dark but her slayer-enhanced eyesight pierced all but the darkest of shadows. She heard a floorboard creak and turned toward the sound. Xander followed her movement from above.

"I know you're there. And I know what you are," she said into the darkness.

"Do you?" came Angel's voice. Buffy and Xander turned to face the voice. "I'm just an animal, right?" Angel's voice now came from a different place. Xander grimaced as he tried to focus on finding the vampire.

"You're not an animal," said Buffy, "Animals I like." Buffy spun around, trying to leave no blind spots. Angel growled as he stepped out of the shadows. Buffy trained her crossbow on Angel.

"Let's get it done!" yelled Angel as he ran and jumped onto a pool table. Buffy kept her crossbow trained on him but her shot missed. Angel jumped up onto a light fixture. Buffy lost track of him in the shadows. She walked forward cautiously, scanning the air above her for any signs of motion.

Xander moved toward Angel as quickly as he could. Stupid rafters, being tricky to move around on like a thing designed to trick people!

Feet impacted with Buffy's back and she tumbled forward, dropping her crossbow. The blow knocked her on top of a pool table. She lashed out with a back kick from her prone position and sent Angel into a wall. Buffy dove off the table and snatched her crossbow, rolled onto her back and took aim at a still stunned Angel.

Angel recovered and slowly rose to his feet. His demonic face receded.

"C'mon! Don't go soft on me now!" he yelled at her. The bolt flew and impacted the wall next to him. Angel stared at what should have been his death. Xander stopped his pursuit of Angel. What's wrong? Why didn't Buffy kill him? Angel slowly looked back at Buffy. "Little wide."

"Why?" asked Buffy as she rose to her feet. "Why didn't you just attack me when you had the chance? Was it a joke?" she asked angrily. "To make me feel for you and then," Buffy shook her head, "I've killed a lot of vampires. I've never hated one before," stated a tormented Buffy.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" asked Angel rhetorically, "Feels simple."

"I invited you into my home and then you attacked my family!" yelled an irate Buffy.

"Why not? I killed mine," said Angel. His voice was low, soft. "I killed their friends, and their friend's children. For a hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart."

"What changed?" asked Buffy.

"Fed on a girl about your age" Angel looked Buffy over, "beautiful" he said softly, unsure whether he meant Buffy or the other girl. "Dumb as a post" he muttered, "but a favorite among her clan."

"Her clan?" asked Buffy.

"Romany," Angel answered. At Buffy's blank look he answered again, "Gypsies." Buffy recognized the term. "The elders conjured the perfect punishment for me. They restored my soul."

"What, they were all out of boils and blinding torment?"

"When you become a vampire the demon takes your body, but it doesn't get your soul. That's gone! No conscience, no remorse" explained Angel. "It's an easy way to live. You have no idea what it's like to have done the things I've done," his voice is haunted, "and to care. I haven't fed on a living human being since that day."

"So you started with my mom?" asked Buffy angrily.

"I didn't bite her."

"Then why didn't you say something?" she asked, exasperated with his mysterious actions and cryptic remarks.

"But I wanted to. I can walk like a man, but I'm not one." Angel hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to kill you tonight."

Buffy stared at Angel, the man, and the vampire. She looked into his eyes, ignored the slayer instincts, ignored the feel of danger that surrounded him, and looked into his eyes. Into the soul that was forced inside. She put down her crossbow and walked up to him. She tilted her neck to the side, offering herself to him.

Xander's heart stopped. What the fuck? She's just giving up! Even with his new speed, he wouldn't be able to get to her in time!

"Go ahead," she whispered. Angel stared at her, never looking away. He was tempted, so very tempted, as he always was when he stood this close to a human. But he couldn't look away from her.

Buffy relaxed and tilted her head back. "Not as easy as it looks."

"Sure it is!" interjected another voice. Buffy and Angel turned to see Darla step out of the shadows, an odd smile on her demonic face. "Do you know what the saddest thing in the world is?"

"Bad hair on top of that outfit?" snapped Buffy.

Darla ignored her. "To love someone who _used_ to love you."

Buffy turned a startled look onto Angel, who didn't meet her eyes.

"You guys were involved?" she asked.

"For several generations," Darla said with a smile.

"Well, you been around since Columbus, you are bound to pile up a few ex's," said Buffy flippantly, "You're older than him, right? Just between us girls, you are looking a little worn around the eyes," she added cattily. Darla smiled back nastily.

"I made him. There was a time when we shared everything, wasn't there Angelus?" she asked Angel. "You had a chance to come home, to rule with me in the Master's court for a thousand years, but you threw that away because of _her_." Darla glared at Buffy. "You love someone who hates us. You're sick. And you'll always _be_ sick." Darla's mouth became set in a determined line. "And you'll always remember what it was like to watch her die." Buffy turned from watching Angel and looked at Darla sharply. Darla smiled back. "You don't think I came alone, do you?"

"I know I didn't." Buffy kicked the crossbow up into her hands and aimed it at Darla.

"Hmm, scary," said Darla facetiously. "Scarier," she said, motioning behind them with her eyes. A creak sounded behind Buffy and Angel. They spun around and came face to face with the Three. A chuckle from Darla made Buffy spin back around. She pulled her hands from behind her back, revealing the pistols in her hands. "Scariest!" she exclaimed with a predatory grin.

Xander's stomach twisted when he heard the gunshot. Looking down, he saw Buffy still standing, while Angel fell to the ground.

"Oh, don't worry;" Darla told Buffy with mock concern, "Bullets can't kill vampires. Can hurt them like hell, but..." she giggled at her own success. The slayer was now alone and at her mercy!

Buffy froze. She was surrounded and held at gunpoint. How was she going to live through this? A rustling sound drew everyone's attention upward. A large shadow crashed into one of the Three, driving the vampire into the ground with a horrifying crunch. The vampire screamed in pain.

"Xander!" exclaimed Buffy.

"Buffy, get her!" ordered Xander. He spun toward the left, leading with his right fist, and scored a powerful hook the crotch of one of the Three. The vampire crumpled to the floor, cradling his crushed testicles.

Buffy turned back to Darla, who raised her guns to full extension. Buffy dove onto a pool table, rolled over it and took cover as Darla's gunfire trailed after her. Buffy reloaded her crossbow.

Xander turned around into a kick. Blood exploded from his mouth. Xander noticed one of his teeth flying away from him. Xander staggered to keep on his feet. He raised his hands to defend himself, but was unable to block the punches that crashed into his ribs and head knocking him down. Xander caught himself on his hands and knees, but a powerful kick to the ribs sent him flying, away from Buffy and Darla's battle.

"I don't know who your other boy toy is, but the Master will take care of him soon enough," said Darla. She smiled, "Now, so many body parts, so few bullets. Let's begin with the kneecaps," she said as she advanced on Buffy's position. "No fun dancing without them."

Darla fired more shots into the pool table, keeping Buffy from moving to other cover. Buffy popped up quickly and fired her bolt. It struck Darla, who doubled over from the shot. Buffy watched as Darla straightened up, the bolt embedded in her abdomen.

"Close, but no heart," said Darla. She pulled out the bolt and tossed it aside.

Xander recovered in time to block a punch. The vampire and Xander exchanged blows and blocks. Xander was able to graze the vampire's remaining eye. The vampire flinched back, leaving himself open for Xander's kick to connect with his chest, knocking the vampire down. Xander pulled out a stake in each hand. He readied himself to pounce but stopped. The other two vampires had healed and were now ready to engage him. Xander grimaced. This was _not_ good!

Giles and Willow entered the Bronze and crawled over to the railing. They had come once Giles learned that another vampire had attacked Joyce and not Angel. Having heard the gunshots from the outside they entered the bronze through the ladder. They looked over the railing and saw Buffy and Darla engaged in a gunfight and Xander facing off against the Three.

"We need to distract the armed vampire," said Giles.

"Buffy," yelled Willow, "it wasn't Angel who attacked your mom, it was Darla!"

Darla tuned toward Willow's voice and fired a hail of bullets into the balcony. Giles and Willow hugged the floor to avoid the gunfire. "It doesn't matter now. You're all going to die here!" said Darla as she reloaded before she fired into the pool table again. Angel, having finally recovered from being shot, pulled the crossbow bolt that Buffy fired at him earlier from the wall.

Xander's eyes turned toward Darla. A growl leaked from his throat. That _bitch_ was dust! Xander charged at the Three. Taken aback, the Three were not prepared for Xander to throw both stakes at them. One of them deflected the blow with his forearm guard. The other took the stake in the eye. The vampire screamed and stumbled back, his hands cradling his eye. The other two watched him in shock. They turned back but were too late to react as Xander caught them in a double clothesline that flipped them both. Xander's sneakers squealed as he forced himself to stop and turn, one hand in his pocket. Xander jumped and landed on one vampire with a thud then he rolled off. The vampire turned to look at Xander and then down at the stake in his chest. He exploded into dust.

Darla hopped onto the pool table, hoping to catch Buffy still hiding on the other side. The pool table shifted under her making her fall. She lay sprawled on top of it when she felt the table slide to the side. She rolled onto her back as the table continued sliding and saw Buffy running for a glass counter. She began firing, trying to catch the Slayer, but the sliding table threw off her aim. The table hit the wall and stopped. Darla jumped off the table and advanced on Buffy's new position.

The vampire pulled the stake from his eye with a roar. He cradled his eye and forced the other open and watched as Xander plunged a stake into his heart. The vampire burst to dust as Xander cursed. That was the last of his stakes! He turned and faced off with the last of the three, their one eyed leader. The vampire moved in and blocked Xander's jab, raking Xander across the face with his claws. Xander hissed in pain.

Giles fiddled with the controls on the second floor. He managed to find the power button, at last, and turned on the system. Another switch turned on the strobe lighting.

Darla looked up at the balcony, giving Buffy a chance to change cover. Darla fired at her again but didn't score a hit.

The last of the Three was blinded by a strobe light flashing directly into his eyes. Xander kicked the vampire in the stomach and pulled out his knife. He plunged it into the back of the vampire's neck, severing his spinal cord. Xander dragged the knife downward, severing the vampire's trachea and most of the tendons in his neck.

"C'mon, Buffy. Take it like a man!" taunted Darla. A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned and saw Xander as he dropped his knife and ripped the vampires head off its shoulders. The vampire turned to dust a moment after. Darla's eyes widened. This one was dangerous! She raised her pistols, taking aim at Xander.

Angel stalked up silently. He roared and plunged the crossbow bolt into Darla from behind. Darla dropped her pistols and turned around.

"Angel?" whispered Darla. Darla fell to the floor before bursting into ash. Buffy rose from behind her cover. Angel looked up from Darla's ashes and stared at Buffy. Buffy slowly walked out from behind the counter. Xander picked up his knife and watched Angel and Buffy stare at each other. Angel gave Buffy one last look then turned and left. Buffy couldn't speak and simply watched him go.

Xander took a step toward Angel before stopping. He looked back at Buffy. She was still watching Angel. Xander visibly sagged and then turned away, wiping the blood from the three gashes on his face with his shirt.

***BTVS***

The three friends walked into the bronze together. Xander's wounds had already healed, leaving only three faint lines across his right cheek. Xander laughed for several hours that afternoon when he realized his new scars resembled cat whiskers. Willow had been very upset at his wounds, while Giles was astonished and, and proud of his accomplishment. Xander had a terrible time trying to keep from crying when Giles told him that.

The Bronze was a very different place when there wasn't a battle happening inside of it, Xander decided. He was glad to have a chance to relax after the battle and that he healed faster now. Thankfully his parents had been too intoxicated to notice his wounds last night. Or this morning.

"Ah, the post-fumigation party," sighed Xander.

"Okay," said Buffy while she looked around curiously, "so what's the difference between this and the pre-fumigation party?"

"Much hardier cockroaches," said Xander with a smirk.

"So," began Willow, "no word from Angel?" Xander frowned at the mention of the vampire.

"Nah," said Buffy a little sadly, "It's weird, though. In his way I feel like he's still watching me."

"Well, in a way he sort of is." Willow smiled and pointed. "In the way of that he's right over there."

Buffy looked over and saw Angel, standing in a darkened corner of the club, watching her. Buffy glanced back at Willow with a small smile and walked over to Angel. Xander watched her go, each step making his heart clench. He walked over to a table, held a chair out for Willow, who smiled radiantly at him, and deliberately sat with his back to Angel and Buffy. Willow arched her brow at him questioningly.

"I don't need to watch because I'm not threatened," answered Xander flippantly, "Just gonna look this way." Willow smiled at him, clearly disbelieving. She returned to watching Buffy as she stopped in front of Angel. Angel and Buffy shared an awkward silence together. Neither was sure of where things stood, nor how to begin talking to one another. Angel broke first.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," he said, then added hastily, "and your mother."

"We're both good," answered Buffy softly. "You?"

"If I can go a little while without getting shot or stabbed I'll be alright," he replied with a weak chuckle.

Goddamn enhanced hearing, cursed Xander in his head. I don't want to hear this, I don't, I don't, I don't!

"Look," Angel began, "this can't-"

"-ever be anything. I know," finished Buffy for him. "For one thing, you're, like, two hundred and twenty-four years older than I am."

"I just gotta, I gotta walk away from this," Angel said weakly.

"I know. Me too." Neither Buffy nor Angel made a move to leave. "One of us has to go here," whispered Buffy.

"I know," Angel whispered back.

Xander hid his fists under the table. Years of hiding behind a mask let him keep an impassive mien, but his new instincts forced him to curl his hands into fists. His knuckles went white from the pressure and a small trickle of blood dripped from his palms. He didn't need Willow's smile to know that Buffy and Angel were kissing. He could hear them. He could smell them.

They stepped away from each other. "You okay?" Buffy asked Angel. He nodded.

"It's just-"

"-painful," finished Buffy. "I know. See you around?"

Xander heard Buffy walk away from Angel. He could smell the deep burn her silver cross must have left behind. He forcibly unclenched his fists. "Hey, I'm just gonna use the bathroom. I'll be right back, OK?" he told Willow.

"Sure," Willow replied absently.

Xander quickly made his way to the restroom where he washed his already healed hands and splashed some water on his face. His hands gripped the sides of the sink as his face contorted into an angry grimace. He took a deep breath and reigned in his wild emotions. He knew the truth of his feelings now. He knew which were instinct and which were his emotions. He came to a decision, at last, and marched out of the restroom.

He smelled him before he saw him. He turned to face him when he was pushed into one of the dumpsters in the alley. His attacker held him against the dumpster, keeping him from moving.

"This is how it's going to be, _Deadboy_," snarled Xander. "You hurt her, or _any_ of the others and I'll **end** you."

"You really think you can take-" Angel stopped when he felt the tip of Xander's stake press into his chest. He hadn't seen the boy move!

"I _will_ end you." Xander's look bored into Angel. "Remember that." Xander released Angel and walked back toward the bronze. Angel watched him go. Xander stopped at the end of the alley and turned around. "And remember this. I'm not giving her up without a fight."

***BTVS***

The vampires scurried away from the lair. They could still hear the Master raging inside. They'd lost two vampires when the news came. He'd grabbed them and simply ripped their heads off! With one hand apiece! Now the Master was smashing everything within arm's reach: a bookcase, candelabra, and another minion. They were all loyal to he who gave them life everlasting but they weren't stupid!

The Master smashed a nearby boulder, splintering it into three pieces. He fell to his knees, his rage spent, overcome with grief.

"Forget her," the Anointed One told the Master.

"How dare you?" the Master snapped angrily. "She was my favorite. For four hundred years..."

"She was weak," stated the Anointed One firmly. "You don't need her. I'll bring you the Slayer."

"But to lose her to Angel!" said the Master despondently. "He was to have sat at my right hand, come the day. And now..." Now who would be at his side?

"They're all against you," said the Anointed One. "But soon you shall rise. And when you do," he reached and put a reassuring hand on the Master's shoulder, "we kill them all."

The Master smiled at the Anointed One, hearing the truth of his words. Did not the writings of Aurelius foretell his rise? How he would bring the Slayer to hell? How he would open the mouth of hell and reign for a thousand years?

The Master took the hand of the Anointed One. Together, they would be the downfall of the Slayer.


	3. I Robot, You Jane, Him Demon

**Chapter 3 – I Robot, You Jane, Him Demon**

"Tell me Xander, How long have you known about the possession?"

"W-W-What the who now?" stuttered out Xander. Oh crap! He knows!

"The primal possession? I'm almost certain now that you are possessed, or at the very least inhabited by the spirit of an animal. A lion, I do believe."

"Uh, Giles, I don't…" Xander trailed off at Giles' intent look. He couldn't lie, Giles already suspected more than enough. "I've known about it since the morning after the zookeeper attacked. I thought something was wrong when the zookeeper started to look like a giant slab of roast beef."

"Y-Y-Y-you, you wanted to _eat_ the zookeeper?" asked a startled Giles.

"Yeah. But I managed to keep control."

"Remarkable. You say you suspected, but you knew for certain the following morning?"

"I had a dream. Or several dreams, I'm not really sure. But the dream was in full Technicolor, THX sound, the works."

"Um… what?"

"Uh, they were really realistic? I dreamt about the savannah, and the hunt, and the pride, my pride. I learned a lot about lions that I didn't know before."

"Good lord," whispered Giles as he began cleaning his glasses. "So, the, the dreams, they showed you the, the, the instincts? Habits?"

"Yeah. But, you mentioned that with enough will you could master the instincts and continue being human. That helped. All the meditation you taught me helped more."

"My word…so you've managed to control the spirit?"

"It was never dominating like it seemed to be with the Hyenas. Sometimes, I react without thinking, but that's getting to be less and less. Some things I can't help, like whenever I wash up I now take half an hour or more just cleaning and grooming."

"Yes, that is behavior lions are known to indulge in. They are cats, after a fashion."

"Yeah, I didn't know that 'til I dreamt it." Xander shrugged. "There was other stuff like that."

"Such as the zookeeper?" asked Giles carefully.

"**No**," denied Xander, "I like meat a lot more than before but I haven't gone Hannibal Lecter."

"So no cannibalistic tendencies?" asked a relieved Giles.

"No, not since…Hey! You always miss our pop culture refrences, but you know Hannibal Lecter?"

"Anthony Hopkins is an accomplished thespian. I've followed his career since he played the lead in _Othello_."

"Bwah?" Xander could not believe it.

"Oh, stop acting to surprised Xander. Merely because I do not partake of the, the, the mindless drivel that Hollywood produces does not mean that I do not enjoy the cinema, or television. I'm not a _Dalek_ after all."

"A what?"

"A Dalek. It's a… nevermind," said Giles as he shook his head exasperatedly. "Bloody Americans never watching right proper Telly," muttered Giles. "So you don't want to eat people, very good. Um, how about, other, um, meat?"

"I like my steaks medium rare now, instead of well done. Other than that and an increased intake, I don't have any problems in feeding." Xander scratched the back of his head nervously. "There," Xander cleared his throat, "there was, or is, a bit of an issue with regards to my pride."

"Your pride?"

"Yeah. At the moment it's just Willow and Buffy. And you," added Xander shyly. Giles straightened his glasses and looked away.

"Ah, I see. Well, um, what seems to be the problem?"

"Uh, my, uh, _protective_ instincts are a lot stronger than before. Sometimes I react without thinking. Like, um, when a demon jumped out at Buffy while we were looking for Kyle and his gang. I pushed her out of the way and stabbed the demon through the eye. I just… don't ever remember deciding to do it.'

"Ah, well, the exercises I've shown you should help with that, although, I can't say that your instincts are a detriment, Xander."

"But, what if I do it some other time, like Buffy gets bumped in a crowd and I tear some guy apart!"

"Have you ever had these, urges, where someone was _not_ in mortal danger?"

"Uh…" Xander thought very hard over his actions the past week, "no, no I haven't."

"Excellent. I don't think you have to worry about that reaction Xander. I gather that you know, um, instinctively, when to react and when to not."

"Ah. That's good." Xander breathed a large sigh of relief.

"So, what abilities have you manifested?"

"Huh? Oh! Um…I have speed and strength and toughness. Plus," Xander motioned to his clear face, "I heal a lot faster now."

"So, you have physical enhancements, like a slayer?"

"Actually, I think I'm stronger than Buffy, but she's faster."

"Really?" asked a fascinated Giles. Xander nodded.

"Oh! I also have enhanced senses. I can see a lot better, farther, and I can see in the dark. I can hear a lot better, heartbeats through walls better, and I can smell very good."

"Smell?"

"Yeah, I've been practicing, keeping track of people, differentiating smells, things like that. I'm getting pretty good. I can smell a vampire up to 40 feet away, plus, I can track their scents."

"Fascinating. What about taste?"

"I was able to tell that the mystery meat had no meat in it. Sadly, neither does Doublemeat Palace."

"Are, are, are you certain of that?"

"Yeah, the burgers still taste good, I was just, I don't know, disappointed, I guess. It was all, um, soy, maybe, with meat flavoring, but no _real_ meat." Xander frowned in thought. "I'm not sure how I was able to tell the difference, but I could."

"Well, I must say Xander, I was hesitant at first to seriously train you. Even with the speech you gave, I still had my reservations. Humans can't really engage in vampire hunting alone. The advantages a vampire holds are too numerous. However, now, we can step up our training and take it in a different direction. Perhaps you can even begin sparring with Buffy?"

"Um, they don't know, Giles."

"Oh. That might be a problem. Um, Xander, why, why haven't you told them?"

"Uh… how… how much do you know about lion mating habits?"

"Oh, bloody hell," muttered Giles under his breath.

***BTVS***

"Thank god that went well," muttered Xander as he reviewed the conversation with Giles in his head.

Xander explained his current situation to Giles and his ultimate decision. Giles muttered several disparaging comments against teenagers that are best not repeated. After some consideration, Giles told Xander that it was better if he held off attempting to court Buffy until after he was sure he had control of his instincts. Giles then asked him to tell him of all the times he had lost control and Xander reluctantly informed him of his altercation with Angel a few nights ago. Giles had to excuse himself to his office in order to stifle his laughter, since he was unable to stop grinning.

Giles agreed to keep Xander's secret but advised him that the longer he kept it, the greater the chance of it angering his two friends. Xander begged off, saying that he was just not ready. Giles let it go, knowing that Xander would have to work up the courage sooner or later. They both decided on a regular training schedule and Giles set about crafting a regimen that would allow Xander to tap into his abilities fully. Giles also began researching animal spirit possessions and the mystical aspects of lions, in order to find other abilities that Xander may exhibit or posses.

Xander stepped into the restroom. He stopped just inside the door. He could smell someone in the restroom. Usually, he tried to ignore the various scents he detected. The boy's restroom at the high school had never been a paragon of cleanliness but he had almost thrown up the first time he stepped into one without steeling himself. Now, however, his greater control allowed him to filter out the foul odors and concentrate on odd scents. Like the smell of women's perfume. He stepped deeper into the restroom. All the stalls where empty, and yet…

Xander shook his head. Maybe Harmony had been keeping _busy_ this morning? Okay, that wasn't really fair… unless she went after his pride again. Xander smirked. Harmony really _was_ easy!

***BTVS***

"Oh, great!" said Buffy sarcastically, "A book!"

Both Buffy and Xander had been roped into helping with Ms. Calendar's book scanning project. Normally, Xander evaded extra work like the plague, but Ms. Calendar had conscripted Willow, who brought in Buffy, who dragged in Xander. Now they were going over all the books in the library.

Xander, being less than useful with a computer, was stuck with Buffy performing manual labor. He would usually be complaining about having to drag heavy books around but when he started whining Giles' unconvinced look and upraised brow silenced him quickly. Sometimes, thought Xander, it sucks when they know you have enhanced strength and endurance. Buffy blew the dust off a book she pulled out of a delivery crate. The cloud of dust caught the attention of Giles.

"Oh, uh, I, uh... haven't gone through the new arrivals. Uh, put it in, uh," he motioned to a pile with the book he held, "in, in that pile."

"Here, I'll get it," said Dave, one of their computer lab classmates.

"Oh, thanks, Dave," Buffy said. She pointed over to a stack of books, "Willow pile."

"Uh, when I've examined it, you can, uh, uh, skim it," Giles told Dave.

"Scan it, Rupert," corrected Ms. Calendar, "That's scan it."

"Of course," said Giles sarcastically.

"Oh, I know, our ways are strange to you," teased Ms. Calendar, "but soon you will join us in the 20th century. With three whole years to spare!" she finished with a grin.

"Ms. Calendar, I'm sure your computer science class is fascinating, but I happen to believe that one can survive in modern society without being a slave to the, um, idiot box."

"That's TV. The idiot box is TV" said Ms. Calendar with a huff. "This," she placed her hand on a computer monitor, "is the _good_ box!"

"I still prefer a good book," replied Giles.

"The printed page is obsolete," declared another student. "Information isn't bound up anymore. It's an entity," he said, growing more intense with each sentence. "The only reality is Virtual. If you're not jacked in, you're not alive," he finished, grabbed his books and left.

The others watched him go with varying looks of bewilderment. Xander frowned as the student left. He'd detected the scent of deodorant and thought it had been Willow's, but the scent left with the student. The _male_ student who was apparently wearing _women's_ deodorant?

"Thank you, Fritz, for making us all sound like crazy people," muttered Ms. Calendar. She turned to Giles and said, "Fritz, Fritz comes on a little strong, but he does have a point. You know, for the last two years more e-mail was sent than regular mail."

"Oh..." said Giles absently.

"More digitized information went across phone lines than conversation," added Ms. Calendar.

"That is a fact that I regard with genuine horror," stated Giles.

"I'll bet it is," Ms. Calendar teased Giles. "Alright, guys, let's wrap it up for today."

"I've just got a few more," said Willow, "I'll hang for a bit."

"Cool!" said Ms. Calendar. "Thanks." Xander grabbed his bag and pulled it onto his shoulder.

"Xander, you wanna stay and help me?"

"Are you kidding?" Xander asked Willow in disbelief.

"Yes," said an embarrassed Willow. "It was a joke I made up." Xander smiled at his best friend. Even after all this time, she still didn't seem to understand that he wasn't as academically inclined as she was.

"Willow, I love you, but bye!"

"See you tomorrow!" she called after him.

"Sure thing!" called back Xander as he jogged out the door. "Buffy, wait up!" he called out the door. He stopped as he overheard Giles from outside the library.

"I'm, I'm just going to stay and clean up a little," he told Ms. Calendar. "I'll, uh; I'll be back in the middle ages."

"Did you ever leave?" asked Ms. Calendar with a smirk. Xander smiled at Ms. Calendar's rejoinder. Well, well, Giles and Ms. Calendar. He could smell the pheromones in the air they were both throwing off the entire time they were in the room together. This could have many opportunities for embarrassment. And for a change it wouldn't be him!

Xander walked up to Buffy, who was waiting for him. He turned Giles' advice over in his head as he walked up to her. Somehow, he still couldn't bring himself to tell her what happened to him. But… maybe Giles was right about trying to court her. He would be subtle, for now.

"Hey, you want to get something to eat?"

"Sure, I'm starved." Buffy looked around Xander then asked "Where's Willow?"

"She's going to stay and do some more scanning," he replied. Buffy frowned at his answer.

"Shouldn't one of us stay behind and make sure she gets home safe?"

"Giles is staying too. He'll get her home safe."

"Oh, cool. So then… buffet?" asked an eager Buffy. Xander smirked. If they kept cleaning them out they might really not let them back in anymore.

***BTVS***

Xander coughed and tried to dust himself off. So far this patrol had netted him and Buffy seven vampires, the last of which he was now wearing. While they had surprised the others, and Buffy had been very amenable to a little looting, especially when she realized she would be able to replace her slashed top, the last one had surprised them instead. He'd managed to get his stake up when it pounced on him. It had taken Xander down to the floor and impaled itself on the upraised stake.

"You might want to work on your delivery," teased Buffy.

"Ha ha, very funny," deadpanned Xander. "At least he's dust now, isn't he?"

'Well, there is that, at least," Buffy said with a smile. Xander looked up at her and smiled back.

"I _still_ think my kill before this one is the best of the night."

"No way!" exclaimed an irate Buffy, "I **totally** earned kill of the night with the trash can swirly staking!"

"Oh come **on**! Power Bomb to the edge of the dumpster decapitation is _way_ better than that!"

"Stumbling trash canned vampire was _way_ funnier!" said Buffy as she crossed her arms.

"Power. Bomb. Decapitation." Xander punctuated each word with a chop of his hand. Buffy glared at Xander.

"**Trash Can.**"

"**Power Bomb!**" exclaimed Xander as he threw his hands into the air. They settled into a staring contest. A moment later, Buffy made a strangled sound of outrage as she stomped her foot.

"The night's not over yet!" said Buffy as she stomped away.

"You're cute when you're angry," said Xander suddenly. Buffy spun around.

"What!"

"You are!" said Xander with a smile. "You look cute when you stomp around like that."

"Oh," said Buffy with restrained anger, "so you think I'm _cute_?"

"Well… most of the time I think you're beautiful." Xander smiled as he gazed at her. Oh well, he thought, so much for being subtle.

Buffy was taken aback by his comment. She blushed lightly which made Xander's smile grow. Buffy's mouth opened and closed a few times. How was she supposed to respond to that? She was flattered, very flattered. It was impossible not to be, especially when Xander was so sincere with his compliments. But she didn't want to encourage him. Did she? Willow was majorly crushing on him. If she moved in before Willow could… but Xander never acted that way around Willow. Maybe he didn't return her feelings? And then there was Angel who-

The tackle from Xander broke her from her reverie. Buffy felt a burst of heat pass beside them as they fell. They scrambled to their feet. Buffy turned to look down the alley. At the end was a very large lizard. It reared its head back. Buffy and Xander dodged behind a dumpster. A blast of flame cascaded around the dumpster, superheating the metal. The end of the dumpster directly in the blast groaned loudly as it crumpled under its own weight.

Once the flames subsided, Xander and Buffy ran for the other end of the alley. The lizard breathed another blast of fire that they dodged by running around the corner of the building. The flames shot out of the alley, extending a few feet into the street.

Xander and Buffy looked at each other then at their surroundings.

"We're going to need something bigger than a stake," said Buffy.

"The stop sign!"

"I don't think it obeys traffic laws."

"No, use the pole, make a lance!" Xander looked up at the fire escape directly above them. "I'll distract it."

"How are you going to do that?"

"We don't have time! Go! Now!" yelled Xander. They could both hear the sound of the lizard shuffling closer. Buffy ran towards the stop sign as Xander jumped up, grabbed the fire escape ladder and pulled himself up. Buffy twisted the stop sign pole from side to side, making it creak loudly, then kicked it loose, resulting in a very sharp and jagged end. She ripped of the stop sign and marched toward the mouth of the alley.

The lizard stalked out of the alley, tasting the air with its tongue. Turning its head side to side it managed to spot Buffy coming toward it. The lizard began to rear up when a mass fell on top of it. A sharp pain came from its right eye. It scrabbled at its eye, even after Xander pulled his knife out. Riding on the back of the large animal, Xander began stabbing it repeatedly, in the hope of distracting it.

Buffy ran towards Xander. How could he be so stupid as to jump off a fire escape onto a fire breathing lizard? Casting that thought aside she ran and leapt at the lizard, throwing her whole weight behind the spear.

Her makeshift lance pierced the lizards head. It trashed for a moment, bucking Xander off its back. Rolling to a stop, Xander picked up a nearby trashcan and slammed it down on the end of the pole. The pole impaled the lizard completely. A last flare of flame emanated around its mouth and the lizard fell still. Xander tossed the trash can aside. He walked over to Buffy, who was staring at the lizard as it melted away and evaporated. She looked up at him when he stopped next to her.

"Double team dragon slaying?" asked Xander with a grin.

For a moment all Buffy could do was goggle at Xander. Of all the things he was still worried about… Buffy smiled at him and nodded. They were both uninjured and they had just killed a dragon!

***BTVS***

"Ah yes, here it is," said Giles, "the M'doka Fire Breather."

"So, not a dragon?" asked a less than hopeful Xander.

"Um, no, n-not really. Dragons are generally much larger. It says here that beings from the lava plains of M'doka can only exist in our reality for about 5 minutes. After that they dematerialize and return to their home dimension."

"Uh… does it look like they melt and evaporate when they go away?" asked Buffy tentatively.

"Yes it does. Why do you ask?"

"Because **that's** what happened after we **impaled** it through the **head**!" exclaimed an irate Xander.

"Good lord, you, you, you actually slew it!" asked Giles incredulously. He frowned fiercely. "Why didn't you simply flee?"

"Well, **we** didn't know it would just fade away after a while!" said Buffy, "and, _hello_, fire breathing giant lizard!"

"It almost turned us extra-crispy _twice_, Giles. What else where we supposed to do?"

"How, how," Giles shook his head, "How did you kill it?"

"I distracted it; Buffy speared it with a stop sign pole." Giles turned an impressed look upon his slayer. Despite her non-traditional conduct, or, perhaps, because of her non-traditional conduct, Buffy was a remarkable slayer. Buffy twisted uncomfortably under her watcher's praise.

"It was Xander's idea actually and Hey! I still haven't yelled at you for jumping on top of that thing! What were you thinking!"

"I was thinking 'Well, pahtne', I'm-a gonna go bronco bust this 'ere jumped-up lizzehd and ride it roun' town'" said Xander. Smiling at Buffy's agape expression and Giles pinching his nose, Xander mentally patted himself on the back.

"Bloody cowboy mentality," muttered Giles. Buffy turned her shocked expression onto him at his words. Damn enhanced hearing, cursed Giles in his head when he noticed Xander's smile widen as well. "_Please_ tell me that was not _truly_ the reason you jumped on top of it?"

"Of course not," said Xander with a smirk. "I knew I needed to distract it to buy time for Buffy, so I thought about jumping behind it, but how would I fight a whipping tail with a knife? Plus, it might just turn around and the last place in the alley to duck for cover was a pile of molten slag. I couldn't go in front of it and not end up barbecue; I couldn't go under it and not end up road kill; that left getting on top of it. So that's what I did."

"Oh," replied a surprised Giles, "that's very good thinking Xander, well done."

"But he could have gotten hurt!" exclaimed Buffy. She had quieted during Xander's explanation, which made sense, but it was still a huge risk to take!

"But he wasn't and his gambit worked," Giles told Buffy patiently. "Your training seems to be progressing very well." Xander nodded vigorously. He could handle run of the mill vampires now! Out of the corner of his eye he saw Buffy scowl, cross her arms, and turn away from him. Buffy stiffened when he wrapped his arms around her. Ignoring her reaction he pulled her tightly against him and leaned to whisper in her ear.

"You're safe. Alive. That's all that matters." She twisted around in his arms to face him. However, She didn't break his embrace, he noted happily.

"What about you?"

"I'll take care of myself. But I don't go back on my promises Buff." Buffy's eyes widened when she remembered his speech before they fought Darla and the Three at the Bronze. Burying her head in his chest, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she said in a whisper. Xander could still hear it.

"You're welcome."

Giles coughed. He didn't want to break them up, but it had already been a few minutes and it was getting late. Buffy started and nearly leapt away from Xander at the noise. Xander frowned at her reaction.

"It's getting late," began Giles, "and you two have done more than enough for one night. I think we should all head home and get some rest."

"O-okay, I just need to, um, get something from my locker!" said a flustered Buffy before she fled the library. "I'll be back!" she called back as she left. Xander watched her go until he noticed Giles' upraised brow.

"What?"

"That was meant to be subtle?" asked an amused Giles.

"Ah, shut it you," groused Xander. He smirked at Giles. "Besides, I'm not the only one trying to get some action. So who was here earlier, hmm? A certain computer teacher, perhaps?"

Giles turned slightly red before frowning at Xander. "What are you on about?"

"Ah-ah-ah," said Xander as he shook a finger at Giles before tapping that finger against his nose, "you can't fool the nose G-man! I know there was a female in here right before we came in, so who was she?" Xander's grin faltered when he saw Giles's frown deepen.

"What makes you think there was a woman in here earlier?"

"Uh, when Buff and I came in there was a strong scent of women's deodorant. There still is, like someone has been hanging around here all night."

"Despite y-your insinuation about me and, and, and Miss Calendar, I have been alone here since I dropped off Willow at her home several hours ago. Are you sure you don't smell her?"

"No, I know what Willow smells like and this isn't her. This is someone else. Are you sure there was no one else here?"

"I am certain of it, I would have seen them or heard them come in."

"That's really weird," mumbled Xander to himself.

***BTVS***

"This isn't my report! 'Nazi Germany was a model of a well ordered society'? I didn't write that! Who's been in my files?" Xander stared at the student as he strode toward Willow. That was pretty funny, although actually writing the full report wouldn't be. Still, it was weird that Willow didn't get riled up. Usually she was very sensitive about World War II, after hearing some of the stories from her grandfather. Why did she just ignore that guy's outburst? Oh well, time to say hi. With Xander's hands covering her eyes, Willow was forced to stop awkwardly.

"Guess who?"

"Uh, Xander?" guessed Willow.

"Yeah, but keep guessing anyway."

"Xander," said Willow firmly. Xander removed his hands from her eyes.

"Oh, I can't fool ya, you see right through my petty charade," he said as he moved in front of her. "We goin' to the Bronze tonight?"

"Not me," she smiled, "I think I'm going to call it an early night."

"Oh, Malcolm, right?" asked Xander, frowning slightly. "Yeah, I heard. But you're gonna be missing out," he said enthusiastically, "I'm planning to be witty. I'm going to make fun of all the people who won't talk to me."

"That's nice," she said absently, "Have a good time!" Willow practically skipped away from Xander. He watched her go, a slight feeling of trepidation stirring inside of him. He sensed Buffy arrive and stand next to him.

"She certainly looks perky," said Buffy.

"Yeah, color in the cheeks, bounce in the step," noted Xander before he frowned, "I don't like it. It's not healthy." Xander shook his head then turned to face Buffy. "So, are you goin' to the Bronze tonight?" Xander intended to wait for her response, but lost his nerve. "Oh, probably not, you probably have some vampire slaying or some lame endeavor like that, don't you? Everyone deserts me." Xander cursed himself as he trudged away. Why was he always putting his foot in his mouth!

"Check out the jealous man!" teased Buffy.

"What are you talking about?" asked a confused Xander.

"You're jealous," stated Buffy.

"Of what?"

"Willow's got a _thang_, and Xander's left hanging," clarified Buffy with a smile. Xander stared at her blankly for a moment.

"Oh, that's meaningless drivel," said Xander firmly. "I'm not interested in Willow like that."

"Yeah, but you got used to being the Belle of the Ball." Buffy smiled at Xander's attempt to cover up his feelings.

"No, it's just... this _Malcolm_ _guy_? What's his deal?" asked Xander seriously. "I mean, tell me you're not slightly wigged."

"Okay, _slightly_." Maybe he wasn't trying to cover? "I mean, just not knowing what he's _really_ like."

"Or who he really _is_. I mean, sure he _says_ he's a high school student, but _I_ can say I'm a high school student."

"You are," said Buffy slowly. Where was he going with this?

"Okay, but I can _also_ say that I'm an elderly Dutch woman. Get me?" he said intently. "I mean, who's to say I'm _not_ if I'm in the elderly Dutch chat room?"

"I get your point!" replied Buffy with a smile and a chuckle. Then she really thought about what he had said. "I get your point," she repeated with a hint of horror. "Oh, this guy could be _anybody_. He could be weird, or crazy, or old, or… he could be a _circus freak_." Buffy began to panic. "He's probably a circus freak!"

"Yeah, I mean, we read about it all the time. Y'know, people meet on the 'Net, they talk, they get together, have dinner, a show, horrible ax murder."

"Willow ax murdered by a circus freak… Okay, okay, what do we do?" Buffy stopped for a moment and realized she was overreacting. "What are we _doing_? Xander, you get me started!" Xander swayed to the side, avoiding her slap to his shoulder. "We are **totally** overreacting!

"But it's fun, isn't it?" asked Xander with a grin. Buffy tried to glare at him but the effect was spoiled by her own grin. "Come on, we need to get to class." They walked together for a few steps before Xander spoke up again. "_So_…Bronze tonight?"

"_Maybe_… I have to patrol the west side of town tonight."

"I'll come with."

"**Nuh-uh**, with your luck we might run into _another_ of those giant lizard thingies!"

"Giles said that was a one in a **million** chance of running into one! Besides, now we know we can just run if we see it."

"Hmm, I don't know…"

"I'll pay for a trip to the new Mongolian buffet…" said Xander teasingly.

"Done!"

***BTVS***

Xander strode down the hall towards the library wondering if anything was wrong. The day was almost over and Willow hadn't shown up for school. The last time Willow had missed school she had come down with one heck of a flu and ended up going to the hospital. She hadn't shown any symptoms yesterday, however, so there was no accounting for Willow's whereabouts.

Frowning as he considered the implications of Willow's absence, Xander almost missed the smell in the hallway. Xander stopped suddenly and made the student behind him walk right into him. The student almost fell, while Xander was hardly moved. The irritated student walked off after giving Xander a dirty look. Xander's attention, however, was on another student who was across the hall. The brown haired boy Xander was watching remained ignorant of the attention as he closed his locker and walked away. Xander tracked his movements until the boy turned a corner.

Walking away, Xander wondered what he should do about the information he just stumbled across. It was a good thing that he was already heading towards the library. Giles was the man he needed to see. Pushing open the doors, Xander saw Giles come out of his office.

"Hey, Giles, what's the what?"

Giles looked up sharply from the book he was reading. "**Oh**, Xander, um, hello, um, Buffy told me you had a fairly uneventful patrol."

"Yeah, if you call dusting ten vamps uneventful," said Xander sarcastically, "but, um, there's something I need to talk to you about…"

"Oh, is, is, is there a problem?"

"Uh, maybe…" prevaricated Xander, "I'm not sure but one of the students in school didn't smell right."

"What do you mean?"

Letting out a breath, Xander decided to just go for it. "He smelled like a lizard."

"A lizard? Are, are, are you certain?"

"Yeah, it wasn't all that strong but it was definitely coming from this guy."

"I see… is it possible for you to identify this student?"

"He's new, I know that much."

"Hmm… we might be able to find out something… um, the machine in my office is supposed to, to, to be able to, um, _access_ the student records."

"Come on, let's see if we can figure this out."

After fiddling around with the computer in Giles' office for the better part of an hour, they'd finally found the new student records. In the past month, only three new students had transferred to the school. And only one of them was male.

"So, how do we figure out if this guy's a demon? Is there some stuff we can splash on him like we did Amy's mom?"

"Um, well, it would depend on the species of demon we are dealing with. It could be using a, a, a glamour, to hide itself, or it could change forms in, in, in some way…"

"I think we're dealing with a shape shifter here," stated Xander firmly.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Would a glamour hide its smell?"

"Ah, n-no, no it would not. He smelled partially human?"

"Yeah, he did, otherwise I think I would have noticed him sooner."

"Well, there may be a way… come, Xander, I need to consult some books."

"Great," grumbled Xander.

***BTVS***

The clawed hand smashed through the table, the demon's attack missing Xander by inches. Falling backwards from having been leaning over the table, Xander rolled to his feet as the demon plowed through the remains of the sundered table. The demon moved to grapple Xander. Relying on his most practiced combination, Xander delivered a powerful one-two to the creature's reptilian face. Displaying its incredibly physical strength, the creature barely stumbled in its advanced. Xander gaped at the creature for a moment, before moving in with the strongest combination he knew. The first hook simply turned the creatures head but his follow-up left hook made it stumble slightly. His punt was delivered perfectly to the bottom of the demon's jaw. The blow, which had sent vampires flying last night, only sent the demon stumbling back a few steps.

"Fuck," muttered Xander. The demon raised both hands, intending to smash Xander into the floor, when a rapier pierced its side. Giles was not fast enough to dodge the demon's reflexive swing and was sent sprawling to the floor.

The swing turned the demon around leaving its back open. Xander seized the opportunity and pulled the embedded blade out of the demon. It roared in pain and clutched at its side. Swinging the rapier with both hands, Xander easily cleaved the demon's head from its shoulders. The demon gave one last inhuman gasp as it toppled to the floor in two pieces.

While being helped to his feet, Giles stared the demon. "We, we, we need to determine what manner of demon it is and make sure it is truly dead."

"I'll watch it for movement, you hit the books."

"Agreed."

Elsewhere, a long-suffering spirit was released from its wooden prison and finally knew peace.

***BTVS***

Meanwhile, Buffy tried to pierce the mystery surrounding the identity of Malcolm. After talking with Willow and Dave, she'd ended up following Dave after school. The next day, Buffy met up with Xander and Giles in the library during lunch. She sat on top of the recently replaced library table.

"Whatever Dave is into, it's **large**," began Buffy.

"What was the name of this place?" asked Giles.

"It said CRD," Buffy said as she tried to remember every detail, "But, I couldn't get close enough to see what it was."

"Calax Research and Development," stated Xander confidently, "It's a computer research lab. Third largest employer in Sunnydale until it closed down last year." Xander noticed the surprised and incredulous stares he was receiving from Buffy and Giles. "What, I can't have information sometimes?" he asked, offended at their attitudes.

"Well, it-it's just somewhat unprecedented," Giles tried to ameliorate their offence.

"Well, my uncle used to work there," mumbled Xander crossly. "I-in a floor sweeping capacity," he added quickly.

"But it closed?" asked Buffy intently.

"Uh-huh," answered Xander with a nod.

"Looked pretty functional from where I stood," Buffy said with a frown. "I don't have a clue what they were doing."

"And what do they need Dave for?" questioned Xander.

"Something about computers, right?" suggested Buffy. "I mean, he is off-the-chart smart," she added while she turned to Giles.

"We still don't know an enormous amount," said Giles doubtfully as he paced over to Buffy. "Whatever is going on there may be on the up-and-up."

"No," disagreed Xander firmly, "if CRD opened, it would've been on the news."

"Besides, I can just tell something's wrong," stated Buffy. She turned to Giles and said, "My spider sense is tingling."

"Your..." Giles slowly turned his bewildered expression onto Buffy, "spider sense?"

"Pop culture reference," explained Buffy. She suppressed a grin, "Sorry."

"Yes, well," Giles cleared his throat and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I think we're still at a stand still. Uh, uh, short of breaking into the place, I don't see-"

"Breaking in!" Buffy's exclamation cut Giles short. Buffy slid from her perch on a table and announced, "Then this is the plan!"

"I'm free tonight!" added Xander with a smile.

"Tonight it is!" added an excited Buffy as she walked over to Xander.

"A moment, _please_, of quiet reflection," begged Giles. "I do not suggest that you illegally enter the..." His plea was interrupted by Ms. Calendar entering the library. " ...data into the file so the book will be listed by title as well as by author," he improvised.

"I just came by to check your new data base, make sure your cross reference table isn't glitching," said Ms. Calendar as she walked up to Giles. "_'Cause_ I'm guessing you haven't gone anywhere near it," she told him accusingly.

"Uh," Giles crossed his arm. "I'm still sorting through the chaos you left behind you," he responded defensively. Xander smiled at their interaction. He could clearly read their nascent attraction to one another.

"Hmm," Ms. Calendar turned to Buffy and Xander, "You're here again? Kids really dig the library, don't cha?"

"We're literary!" responded Buffy perkily.

"Oh, don't let that tweed exterior fool ya Ms. C," Xander began with a grin, "Giles here is a real rough and tumble guy. You should check out his collection of large pointy things!" Xander boldly ignored the killer glare Giles sent his way.

"Is this true Rupert?" asked an amused Ms. Calendar.

"Oh, yeah!" added Buffy once she realized the byplay between her watcher and her computer teacher. "Giles is way into the medieval combat scene."

"We're still petitioning Snyder to allow us to found the Society for the Recreation of Medieval Violence!" finished Xander with a large grin. Ms. Calendar turned and walked away from the students to hide her large grin.

"_Thank you Xander that is quite enough_," Giles snapped out through clenched teeth. Buffy decided that they'd pushed Giles far enough.

"We'll be going now," she told the room as she linked her arm with Xander and pulled him toward the exit.

"Uh, w-we'll, uh, continue our other conversation at another time," Giles said in an attempt to curb their plan to break into a secure facility.

"I think we're done," Buffy answered back as they left. She turned to Xander and whispered, "Giles and Ms. Calendar?"

Xander merely grinned.

***BTVS***

After school, Buffy encountered Dave, one of the students from the computer lab, who told her that Willow was waiting for her in the girl's locker room. Buffy went, but did not find Willow. Dave's shouted warning was the only reason she _just_ managed to escape electrocution. She traveled to the library and found Giles and Xander already waiting for her. She sat down and told them her story. Giles listened attentively and Xander paced.

"I'm going to **kill** Dave!" snarled Xander.

"He tried to warn me," Wow, Xander's **really** angry!

"Warn you that he set you up?" Xander asked incredulously. He turned to Giles and asked, "Is she going to be okay?"

"She was only grounded for a moment," said Giles. He sat and handed Buffy a mug of tea, to help calm her nerves. "Still," he added, "if you'd been anyone but the Slayer..."

"Tell me the truth: how's my hair?" asked Buffy fearfully. Her hair was, in fact, a frizzy mess from her near-electrocution. Giles gaped at her, completely at a loss as to how to answer. Xander looked her over thoughtfully before pulling a folding comb from his jacket pocket.

"Here, let me," Xander said. He began to comb her hair, starting with her sides. Buffy looked up at Giles with wide eyes. Giles looked up at Xander, remembered some of the lesser details he discovered in his research into lion behavior, then looked back at Buffy and shrugged. Buffy stood still and allowed Xander to minister to her hair. She opened her mouth to protest when he released her hair clip but his sure hand stopped her. Deftly flipping her bangs up and re-clipping her hair, Xander handed her his flip out comb, showing her the mirror in the handle as he did so. "There, all done."

Buffy inspected his work with growing satisfaction. She smiled at him, "Xander, thank you!" Xander shrugged uncomfortably and took his comb back.

"I know you always like to look your best," Xander said softly as he pocketed his comb, "but you always look beautiful to me." Buffy couldn't help but beam at him. Giles coughed a bit regretfully.

"Ahem," both startled teens turned to him, "W-we were discussing Dave's attempt to, to, to set Buffy up?"

"I just... I don't understand what would make Dave do a thing like that," said Buffy.

"I think, perhaps, I do," stated Giles grimly. He walked over to the book cage and returned carrying a large leather volume. Inked into the leather was the image of a horned humanoid. He held it up to Buffy and Xander and asked, "Does this look familiar to either of you?"

"Yeah, sure," began Buffy with a smirk, "Looks like a book."

"I knew that one," added Xander with a grin. Giles merely rolled his eyes and set the book on the table.

"In the dark ages, the souls of demons were sometimes trapped in certain volumes. They remained locked within the book, harmless, unless the pages were read aloud. Unless I'm mistaken, this is Moloch, the Corrupter," Giles gestured to the image on the cover. "A very deadly and seductive demon. He draws people to him with promises of love, power, knowledge; Preys on impressionable minds," he looked meaningfully at the two teens.

"Like Dave's," Xander said with dawning comprehension.

"Dave," Giles nodded, "and who knows how many others."

"And Moloch is inside that book?" asked Buffy.

"Not anymore," said Giles. He opened the book and revealed its blank pages.

"You released Moloch?" asked a startled Xander.

"Way to go!" exclaimed Buffy sarcastically.

"**I** didn't read it!" exclaimed Giles defensively, "That… dreadful Calendar woman found it and, and it was already blank."

"Okay, so a powerful demon with horns is walking around Sunnydale, and _nobody's_ noticed?" Buffy asked doubtfully.

"If he's so big and strong, why bother with Dave?" asked Xander. "I mean, why didn't he just attack Buffy himself?"

"I don't know," an agitated Giles replied as he paced, "And I don't know who could've read that book. It wasn't even in English."

"Where was it?" asked Buffy.

"Uh, in a pile with others that were, um, uh, scanned," Giles replied. All three slowly look over to the computer on the table.

"And that released the demon?" asked Xander.

"No," said Buffy slowly, "he's not out here." She pointed at the computer and said, "He's in there."

"The scanner read the book," thought Giles aloud as he walked towards the computer, "It brought Moloch out as information to be absorbed."

"He's gone binary on us," added Buffy.

"Okay, for those of us in our studio audience, who are me," said Xander, who was not part of the computer class, "You guys are saying that Moloch is _in_ this computer?"

Buffy nodded, "And every computer connected to it by a modem."

"He's everywhere," elaborated Giles.

"What are we going to do?" Xander asked them both.

"Willow scanned him into her file," stated Giles. "It may be... a _futile_ gesture, but I suggest we, um, uh, delete it."

"Solid!" exclaimed Buffy. She walked over to the computer and pulled out a chair.

"Don't get too close," cautioned Xander. He grimaced when Buffy turned a smirk to him and sat down in front of the computer. Smooth move, Xander… not!

"Okay," breathed out Buffy as she looked the keyboard over. "Okay," she turned on the monitor. "So which file do you think it is? Willow?" Buffy used the mouse to navigate to where Willow stored her file. "That's probably it, right?" she asked her silent audience. "I'll just delete the whole thing," she said when she realized that she knew more about computers than either of her male friends. She dragged the file over to the trash bin. The screen blurred into a mass of pixels that formed into Moloch's face. All three flinched back from the image.

"Stay away from Willow!" snarled Moloch out of the tinny computer speakers, "It is none of your business!" The screen returned to normal once he finished.

"So that's what Malcolm looks like," said a startled Buffy. She sighed, "So much for delete file."

"This is very bad," said Giles ponderously.

"Are we overreacting? He's in a computer! What can he do?" asked Xander doubtfully.

"You mean besides convince a perfectly nice kid to try and kill me?" Xander scowled at her question. "I don't know. How about mess up all the medical equipment in the world?"

"Randomize traffic signals," suggested Giles.

"Access launch codes for our nuclear missiles."

"Destroy the world's economy."

"I think I pretty much capped it with that nuclear missile thing," said a smug Buffy.

"Right," conceded Giles, "yours was best."

"Okay, he's a threat; I'm on board with that now. But what can we do about it?"

"I think the first thing we do is find Willow. She's probably talking to him right now." Buffy shivered, "God that creeps me out!"

"What does he want with Willow?" asked Xander sharply.

"Let's never find out." Buffy stood up and took a breath, "Okay, I'm going to check the computer lab, you guys call her home." Buffy marched out of the library as Xander walked over to the phone on the counter. Xander stopped with the handset halfway to his ear.

"Couldn't we just disconnect the computer?"

"Um, I'm afraid that wouldn't do any good. S-surely Moloch has already ensconced himself elsewhere. I-i-if he's communicating with Dave and Willow, he's already out on the, the, the Internet."

"And with all the companies rushing to get online…" added Xander.

"His reach will only grow." Xander looked away from Giles' grim gaze and dialed Willow's number.

Five minutes later Xander slammed the phone down onto the receiver. "No answer," he snapped, frustrated.

"Damn it!" cursed Giles.

"Well, it wasn't busy either, so she's not online." He turned to face the Library's entrance as Buffy walked through. "She's not home."

"What did you find?" questioned Giles.

Xander started at a sudden dark thought. "Willow isn't..."

"Dave," explained Buffy succinctly. "He's dead."

"How?" asked Giles.

"Well," said Buffy, "it _looks_ like suicide."

"With a little help from my friends?" asked a suspicious Xander.

"I'd guess Fritz. Or the other zomboids from CRD," she added. "Okay," she faced Xander, "you and I are going to go to Willow's house. Giles, you need to come up with a way to get Moloch out of the Net."

"I, I have records of the ceremonies, but, but that's for a creature of the flesh," explained a flustered Giles. "Th-this could be something completely different."

"Then get Ms. Calendar," suggested Buffy. "Maybe she can help you."

"Well, even if she could, how am I going to convince her that there's a demon on the Internet?"

"Okay, fine," said Buffy exasperatedly, "then you can stay here and come up with a better plan." She grabbed Xander's wrist, "C'mon."

***BTVS***

"Willow?" cried out Buffy as she and Xander ran up to the Rosenberg's open front door.

"This isn't good," muttered Xander.

"Willow?" yelled out Buffy again as she ran into the house and made her way to Willow's room. Xander paused at the doorway and sniffed. He shook his head as a sweet smell filled his lungs. He walked away and quickly climbed the stairs.

"Willow?" Buffy looked around Willow's room fretfully. Xander walked in, bumping into the doorway along the way. Buffy frowned at him. "What's wrong?"

"I got a whiff of something that gave me a small headache near the front door." He glanced around the room, confirming Willow's absence, "Okay, any thoughts?"

Buffy looked around again. This time she saw that Willow's computer was signaling that it had a message. Jiggling the mouse, the screen opened up to Willow's last email.

"It's from Malcolm: 'No more waiting, I need you to see me'? See him how? Where?" she asked Xander.

"What about CRD?"

"The research place?"

"I'm guessing that's Moloch central."

"Guessing that's our best lead. Let's just hope Giles can back us up."

***BTVS***

Giles scrambled to answer the phone. "Buffy!"

Outside of CRD, Buffy and Xander were using a nearby payphone. "Yeah," replied Buffy.

"Willow?"

"Not at home. It looks like she was taken somewhere."

"Where are you?"

"CRD. Whatever Moloch wants Willow for, it's probably in there."

"Ms. Calendar and I are, uh, working to get Moloch offline."

"Here's a tip: hurry!" she exclaimed then hung up the phone. She turned and nodded to Xander. They crossed the street and made their way to a nearby alley. There Buffy leapt over the fence in a single bound. Xander leapt straight up, and then grasped the top of the fence to pull himself over. He landed lightly on his feet.

"Back way?" he asked Buffy.

"Back way." Making their way to the rear of the building, Buffy kicked a door open. They marched into the building. A startled guard moved to intercept them but Buffy knocked him out in one blow. Xander noticed Willow on the guard's monitor.

"Buffy!" She ran back to him.

"It's her!"she exclaimed on seeing Willow on the monitor.

"Yeah, who's the other guy?" he asked, frowning at the large figure talking to willow.

"Dunno," said Buffy as she peered into the grainy monitor. Xander stepped away, breaking into a brisk jog.

"C'mon, let's find her!" Xander followed the signs on the wall and his nose. Willow's scent stood out in sharp contrast to the antiseptic smells of the computer research facility. Eventually they came to a large door that marked the entrance to the laboratory. Buffy gave it a hard kick. The door reverberated with a heavy metallic sound.

"I can't bust it. It's heavy steel."

"Then let's find another way in," Xander suggested as he jogged down the hall to the next set of doors. An alarm klaxon sounded before he could reach them. Xander moved to the doors, only to find them locked. "What's goin' on?" he asked. Buffy looked around and spotted a camera.

"Building's security system is computerized."

Xander looked up at the camera, "Whoops!" A gas began to spray from the hall's sprinkler system. Xander's eyes widened. With his new senses, he could be out far faster than before. He rushed over to the steel door, plastered himself to the wall opposite, and then launched forward into the strongest front kick he could deliver. The door thundered under his impact, but did not seem to budge.

"That was **some** kick, Xand," said an impressed Buffy. Xander slumped after glancing over the unmarked door. Shit, it really is steel! Xander began to panic when he noticed some dust fall from near the top of the door. A closer inspection revealed cracks in the concrete.

"Buffy!" cried Xander as he motioned Buffy closer. "Look, the door might be steel but the walls are concrete! We might be able to force the door off its hinges, especially if **I** was able to budge it! Let's **both** kick the door, on three!"

"Okay!"

"One," they both counted.

"Two!"

"Three!" They both lashed out with their hardest kicks. The concrete crumbled as the hinges were forced out of the wall. The door tumbled back and fell with a thud as the bolts gave way under the door's unsupported weight.

"It's a robot!" cried Xander when he finally saw Moloch's new form. Buffy ran and jumped up, kicking Moloch in the chest. Moloch staggered back a single step and Buffy fell to the floor, her forward momentum completely spent.

"_Ow_... Guy's made of metal!" cried Buffy as she scrambled to her feet. A technician tried to grab Xander from behind. Xander brushed off the man's grapple, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and tossed him face first into a nearby wall. The man crashed into the wall and slumped, boneless, to the ground.

"No! I won't go back!" cried Moloch as he began to writhe in pain. Buffy grabbed Willow's hand and ran out the door, followed by Xander.

Moloch fell to his knees and screamed loudly. Willow, Buffy and Xander were making their way quickly through the halls. Moloch's screams died out. Buffy and Willow opened a set of doors and saw a group of security personnel and technicians moving toward them. They closed the doors with a push.

"Let's go this way!" called Xander. He turned around and began running the other way. Buffy felt a sudden apprehension.

"Wait!" she called out. Xander stopped as he noticed a strange whirring sound. Moloch crashed through the wall between Xander and the girls. Xander moved before he fully registered what had happened. With his knife in his hand, Xander lunged at Moloch. His knife made an awful screeching sound, but barely nicked Moloch. Moloch looked down at the knife then back up at Xander. Grabbing Xander's shoulder, Moloch bodily flung Xander through a nearby door.

"Xander!" cried Willow. Moloch turned and advanced on Buffy and Willow. Buffy stepped forward. Moloch swung at her. Buffy tried to block the blow but the force pushed her aside and knocked her into the wall. She slid to the floor, dazed from the attack.

"I was **omnipotent**. I was **everything**!" snarled Moloch, "Now I'm trapped in this **shell**!" Moloch reached down and lifted Buffy by her head with one hand.

Xander coughed and writhed on the ground. He rolled over to rise to his feet when he stopped and stared at the object in front of him. "By the power of Greyskull!"

"Malcolm!" Moloch turned to face Willow who brandished a fire extinguisher at him. "Remember me, your girlfriend?" she yelled as she swung the fire extinguisher into his chest. Moloch stumbled back, releasing Buffy. "Well, I think it's time we break up!" She swung again, pushing him back even further. "Or maybe we can still be friends!" She swung for his face but Moloch parried the blow and wrenched the fire extinguisher from her grasp then shoved Willow down the hall. Buffy caught Willow and helped her keep her feet. She stepped in front of Willow as Moloch slowly advanced.

"This body's all I have left. But it's enough to crush you!"

"I don't think so!" Xander was already in mid-swing when he stepped out in front of Moloch. With no time to defend himself, Moloch took Xander's blow directly to his chest. The attack sent Moloch flying to the floor, where he slid back three feet with an awful grinding sound.

Buffy and Willow's jaws dropped almost to the floor. Every attack they had tried had barely moved Moloch!

Xander stepped forward and launched himself into a leap with a bloodthirsty yell, bringing the sledgehammer he found amongst a group of construction tools down in a two-handed overhand chop. The hammer plowed into the lower abdomen of Moloch's robot body. The metal casing warped with a crunch and a terrible screech. Moloch yelled in surprise.

"You think I'm just gonna let you hurt my friends!" yelled Xander at the prone robot. He wrenched his sledgehammer free and swung it back around his shoulder. "I don't think so _fucker_!" Xander punctuated his remark with another downward swing of his sledgehammer.

Moloch moved an arm up to block, only to have the appendage smashed into his chest. The machinery inside of it was crushed, leaving his arm dangling uselessly from the elbow down. "No, please!" cried Moloch.

"Let me tell ya, asshole," Xander ignored Moloch's pleas and struck again, crushing the hand Moloch tried to defend himself with. "John Henry ain't got nothin'," the sledgehammer crashed into Moloch's chest, burrowing into the metal casing and electronics beneath. "Ragh!" Xander pulled the sledgehammer up and swung at Moloch's head, "on me!"

Pulling away his hammer, Xander watched as the ruined remnants of Moloch's head sparked and the lights on his scattered eyes died. The body fell limp with a whine and a thud. Xander spit on the shell of the demon. He turned around to face his friends and casually swung the hammer up to rest on his shoulder. He grinned at his two awed friends.

"Did you like the John Henry line?" he asked them, "or should I have gone with Hammer Time?"

***BTVS***

"Ah, that must be them," said Giles as he stood up at the sound of the doors swinging open. "Tell me, did- Xander, what the bloody hell are you doing with a sledgehammer?"

"I smashed Robo-Moloch!"

"W-w-what?"

"We went to CRD and found Willow," Buffy gestured to her friend, "and we ran into Moloch in his new robot body."

"Moloch?" asked Willow.

"Malcolm's real name," replied Buffy.

"Oh."

"A robot body?" questioned an intrigued Ms. Carpenter, "A real, _working_ robot body?"

"Yeah… it's not really working anymore," Buffy glanced at Xander who took a bow, the sledgehammer slung across his shoulders. "Anyway, Moloch started screaming after we got there."

"Ah, that must have been when we began the binding ritual. I was expecting it to return to the book," Giles held open the empty tome. "However, as you can see, the book is empty."

"I think he was bound to his body," said Willow.

"That does make sense," Ms. Calendar said. "If Moloch could transfer himself as data the binding ritual would have bound him to whatever physical location most of his…software was stored."

"So Moloch was bound within a mechanical body?" prompted Giles.

"A super _strong_ robot body," said Buffy, irritated, "that threw us around and shrugged off our attacks." Giles started at this information and turned a questioning gaze to Xander.

"It threw me into a supply closet with a bunch of construction equipment. I found this and went all 'hammer time' on tin-man-Moloch."

"Y-y-you smashed him with a-a-a sledgehammer?" asked a stunned Giles.

Xander admired his new weapon, "I'm going to get this thing engraved and call it Mjolnir." Ms. Calendar laughed, drawing Giles' attention.

"W-w-what does an engraving have to do with the Norse God of Thunder?"

"Oh, come on Rupert, 'Whosoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor'?" At Giles' blank expression she elaborated, "'The Mighty Thor'? Marvel Comics?"

"They made the legend of Thor into a comic book?" asked an affronted Giles. Ms. Calendar rolled her eyes at her archaic colleague.

"Thor's hammer has a short handle though, Xander," Ms. Calendar told him with a smile.

"Don't worry Ms. C, we can just call this one Mjolnir 2- no, Mjolnir the Second!" announced Xander as he thrust the sledgehammer into the air. Giles let out a resigned sigh.

"Just put it in the cage."

***BTVS***

After assuring Giles that Moloch was well and truly smashed, and his memory components run through magnet, which earned Ms. Calendar's approval, Xander, Buffy and Willow walked out to the front steps of the school, where Xander and Buffy tried to cheer up Willow.

"We gonna go to the Bronze tonight? We three?" asked Xander.

"It'll be fun!" added Buffy.

"Yeah, Willow, fun? Remember fun? That thing where you smile?" Xander smiled at his best friend.

"Oh, I'm sorry guys. I'm just thinking about..."

"Malcolm?" asked Buffy.

"Malcolm, Moloch... whatever he's called. The one boy that's really liked me, and he's a demon robot. What does that say about me?"

"It doesn't say anything about you," said Buffy.

"I mean, I thought I was really falling-"

"Hey, did you forget? The one boy _I've_ had the hots for since I've moved here turned out to be a vampire."

"Right, and the teacher I had a crush on?" added Xander, "Giant praying mantis?"

"That's true," conceded a smiling Willow.

"Yeah, that's life on the Hellmouth," said Xander sagely.

"Let's face it," said Buffy with a smile, "none of us are ever going to have a happy, normal relationship."

"We're doomed!" interjected Xander.

"Yeah!" agreed Willow as all three friends laughed together. Their laughter slowed down to nervous chuckles then stopped completely. Xander glanced at a moping Willow with pity and a sad Buffy with sorrow and frustration. He turned away from his friends and grimaced. He wasn't making any progress at all. He took a deep breath to steady himself. He started and spun around to face the doors behind them. The door was cracked open, but no one was there. Xander frowned. He _knew_ that scent and it was too strong to be a remnant from earlier, unless someone wiped the door down with deodorant and he would have noticed that when they exited earlier.

What the hell was going on?


	4. Nightmares Out Of Mind, Into Sight

**Chapter 4 – Nightmares Out of Mind, Into Sight**

"There's no time, we have to go after it now!" yelled Buffy.

"But, but, but…" stammered Willow.

"Come on, Willow, we need you to identify the thing so we know how to kill it, now get in the car!" said Xander as he dragged Willow into the backseat of Giles' Citroen, "Step on it Jeeves!" Giles grumbled as he brought the car up to speed.

A few blocks later, Xander couldn't help but comment, "Hey, is it just me, or is that old lady in the Moped leaving us in the dust?"

"No, it's just you," said Buffy before adding, "On the other hand I think that kid on the bike just lapped us." Giles ground his teeth and his car's gears.

"Maybe it's like an optical illusion and we only _appear_ to be standing still?" suggested Willow weakly.

"Or maybe we really **are** standing still and the earth is merely rotating beneath us!" said Xander.

"I am _driving_ as _quickly_ as _possible_," ground out Giles through clenched teeth.

"Giles, I could _run_ faster than this rust-bucket," stated Xander.

"This is a classic car!" protested Giles. Xander stuck his head out the window and examined the car's exterior for a few moments before sitting back down.

"Giles, be glad you live in southern California because this car is one downpour away from being rust-orange instead of antique-gray." Giles slammed to stop at an small intersection.

"That is enough! If you really think you can chase this demon faster on foot then be my guest!"

"Thank god! C'mon Buff, let's go!"

"I'm getting out!" Buffy stepped out of Giles car then called back to Giles and Willow, "Catch up you two!" Xander and Buffy then set off to catch the fleeing demon.

Giles stared incredulously at the two teenagers. He didn't think they'd actually get out and pursue on foot! Giles slumped back into the seat. Maybe they did have a point about the speed of his transport?

"Um, Giles?"

"Uh, y-y-yes, Willow?"

"You, you should probably step on it if… if you want to catch up to…" Willow trailed off nervously under Giles' gaze. Giles snapped out of his trance and accelerated.

"Yes, quite right… quite right."

Xander and Buffy quickly gained on the fleeing demon, which was hampered by a bleeding wound on its leg from Buffy's short sword. Xander only had time to arm himself with the nearest weapon he could find, which happened to be a… Xiphos! Yeah, that's what Giles said it was called. Xander was adamant that the sword looked like a skinny leaf.

Running past a pizza place, Xander grabbed an empty pizza tray from a curbside table. He tossed it to Buffy, who caught it and threw it with incredible speed and precision at the demon's head, causing it to fall. Buffy put on a burst of speed, stabbing the rising demon through the torso with her sword.

"Buffy!" She turned at Xander's cry, left her sword in the demon and stepped aside. Xander ran past, cleaving the demon's head from its shoulders as he went. He stopped and came back, picking up the demon's head along the way. He and Buffy shared a smile as he took several deep breaths to help with his falling adrenaline levels.

Xander looked at his watch, careful not to get blood from the demon's decapitated head on himself. Giles' Citroen pulled up later. "16 seconds," Xander told Buffy. She tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a smirk. Xander had a little more success. He held the head out to Giles, who was rounding the front of his car. "So what is it?"

"Hmm, humanoid, leathery skin, hmm…" muttered Giles while Willow frantically turned the pages of the book in her hands.

"Oh! It's a Sungoh!" exclaimed Willow. She continued reading the page she was on, "Oh! Uh, Xander, let go of the head."

"What?"

"Let go of the head because-"

"Yeeow!" cried Xander as he dropped the demon's head, which was engulfed in flames. Xander danced around, waving his singed hand furiously. Buffy stepped back from the body, which had also burst into flames. Within seconds the body was completely immolated and the ash scattered by the breeze.

"Are you okay?" asked Willow. Xander cradled his hand to his chest for a moment, and then examined it while flexing his fingers. He had no burns; the skin was simply very red. Xander smiled and showed the gang his unharmed hand.

***BTVS***

"Learning to _love_ **yourself** is the greatest _love_ _of all_. I decided long ago…" Giles cleaned his glasses and hoped the movement would help disguise his grimace. It seemed that **no one** had ever bothered to tell Cordelia that she could **not** sing! Not one **note**! "...never to walk in anyone's shadow. If I fail, if I succeed, at least-"

"**Thank** you, Cordelia. Tha-that's going to be lovely," Giles lied through his teeth.

"But I didn't do the part with the sparklers!"

"Um," Bloody hell, there were sparklers? "W-we'll, um… save that for the dress rehearsal. Uh, Lisa!" Giles called to another student on stage. When Cordelia looked like she was going to protest, Giles quickly added, "Please!"

Cordelia grunted in annoyance and stomped away as Lisa stepped up to the microphone with her tuba. Giles rubbed his eyes to help alleviate his frustration. Damn that petty little thug!

"If it isn't the great producer!"Giles looked up at Buffy's exclamation and saw her, Willow, and Xander walk down the aisle and clamber into the seats next to him.

"Had to see this to believe it," said Xander with a grin.

"Oh. _You_ three," muttered Giles sourly.

"The school talent show. How_ever_ did you finagle such a primo assignment?" said Buffy with false cheer.

"Our new Fuehrer, Mr. Snyder."

"I think they call them 'principals' now," chimed in Willow unhelpfully.

"Mm," grunted Giles. "He thought it would _behoove_ me to have more contact with the students. I did try to explain that my vocational choice of librarian was a deliberate attempt to _minimize_ said contact, but, uh, he would have none of it."

"Giles, unto every generation is born one who must run the annual talentless show," Buffy grinned as she teased her Watcher. "You _cannot_ escape your destiny."

"If you had any shred of decency, you would have participated, or at least, um, helped."

"Nah! I think I'll take on your traditional role... and watch!"

"And mock!" added Xander.

"And laugh!" finished Willow. The three friends chuckled together while Giles stewed in frustration.

"Okay," Buffy patted Giles on the shoulder consolingly, "I think maybe we better leave our Mr. Giles to this business he calls a show." The three friends get up to leave but were confronted in the aisle by "Principal Snyder!"

"So," begun Snyder, "We think school events are stupid, and we think authority figures are to be made fun of."

"No!" denied Buffy, "No, we don't. W- unless you do?" tried Buffy, hoping against hope.

"And we think our afternoon classes are optional. All three of you left campus yesterday."

"Yeah, but we were fighting a demon..." Buffy cut off as Willow poked her in the back.

"Fighting?" questioned Snyder intently.

"Not fighting," denied Buffy vigorously.

"No, we, uh, left to _avoid_ fighting," explained Xander.

"Real anti-social types," observed Snyder with a hint of a sneer. "You need to integrate into this school, people. I think I just found three eager new participants for the talent show."

"What?" cried Buffy.

"No!" yelled Xander.

"Please?" begged Willow.

"I've been watching you three," continued Principal Snyder with narrowed eyes, "Always getting into one scrape or another."

"Well, we're really, really sorry, but about the talent show, _please_, you can't make us," said Buffy.

"My predecessor, Mr. Flutie, may have gone in for all that touchy-feely relating nonsense, but he was eaten. You're in _my_ world now. And Sunnydale has touched and felt for the last time." Principal Snyder moved past them toward the stage.

"Can I just mention that detention is a time-honored form of punishment?" suggested Xander hopefully. Buffy nodded in agreement.

"I know the three of you will come up with a wonderful act for the school to watch. And mock. And laugh. At." Principal Snyder smirked and continued onto the stage. Xander growled under his breath. He could pop Snyder's head off with one good punch…

Buffy moaned and sat down next to Giles. Willow frowned at the Principal while thinking about her overridden protests as well as her formerly perfect attendance record. Buffy turned to Giles for sympathy only to find him smirking at them.

"Thank you!" he told the student on stage with a large smile.

***BTVS***

"I can't do this!"

"Xander, come on," pleaded Buffy.

"I can't! I have my pride!" At Buffy and Willow's skeptical looks he elaborated, "Okay, I don't have a lot of my pride, but I have enough so that I can't do this!" He walked over to the steps at stage right and flopped down on the seats.

"A dramatic scene is the easiest way to get through the talent show, because it doesn't require any actual talent."

"But we have talent," protested Xander, "we can do stuff. Buffy, uh..."

"What am I gonna do? Slay vampires on stage?"

"Maybe in a funny way!" suggested Willow. Xander pondered that idea. They couldn't really slay vampires on stage but maybe they could… that's it!

"I know what we can do!"

"What?" asked Willow and Buffy together. Xander stood up and pointed dramatically.

"To the A/V Room!" They followed Xander as he marched to the A/V room, he went over to the book case and searched for a particular video. "Ha-ha!" cried Xander as he raised a VHS tape in triumph. "Good it hasn't been rewound, excellent!" Xander placed the tape in the player and rewound it for a few seconds then he turned on the TV, checked to make sure it was on the proper channel, and flopped down onto the A/V room's couch. He looked up to see Willow and Buffy staring at him in confusion. He reached up, grabbed each of them, and dragged them down onto the couch next to him. "Here, watch this!"

"A Jackie Chan movie?"

"Yeah!" replied Xander enthusiastically as he began to fast forward.

"Uh, Xander, how is this going to help us with the talent show?"

"Because, we are going… to do… this!" said Xander as he hit play at the opening of the final fight scene. After a few minutes, Buffy remarked.

"We're going to set ourselves on fire?"

"No Buff, we're going to put on a movie fight!"

"You mean like fake fight?"

"Yeah!"

"Uh, Xander, I know I can do those moves, no problem, but, uh, how will you and Willow…" Buffy trailed off as Xander stood up and executed a perfect no-hands cartwheel. Willow and Buffy stared agape at him. Xander smirked at his two friends.

"How..." managed to squeak Willow.

"Training," replied Xander with a grin. "It does a body good!"

"So we're going to do that whole fight?" asked Buffy hesitantly.

"No, just the parts we like," said Xander as he walked over to the video bookcase, "we can take segments and ideas from a bunch of sources and come up with an entire routine."

"What will I do?" asked a frowning Willow.

"You know the bad dubbing on these tapes?"

"Yeah…?"

"We'll make up some cheesy dialogue for you to say into a microphone standing off stage to set up the scene then me and Buffy'll go at it." Willow contemplated his suggestion. It would allow her to participate without being onstage.

"Yeah, that's great!" agreed Willow enthusiastically. She turned to Buffy who was still undecided. Buffy looked back and forth between her friend's eager faces.

"Well… it is better than nothing. Let's give it a shot."

***BTVS***

Striding up to his house, Xander was pleased with how their brainstorming session had gone. Buffy had some trouble holding back when they really got into the flow of the fight but, overall, they'd probably blow the audience away at the talent show.

Opening the door, Xander steeled himself for usual stench of alcohol. He wasn't disappointed. However, there was one change from the recent routine. Tony was awake.

"Well, look who showed up! 'Bout time you got home dipshit. Where the hell've you been?"slurred Tony as he got into Xander's face. "It's been days since you've been home!"

Xander stared incredulously at Tony. Xander had been fortunate to come home and leave while his parent's slept for the past few weeks! Xander closed his eyes and tried to push away his frustration. "I've been coming home, Tony, You've just been passed out-"

He never saw the hit coming. The slap turned his head. He could already taste the blood from the cuts on the inside of his cheeks.

"Don't talk to me that way you little shit! If I have to put up with having a worthless, spineless bastard for a son you'll show me some god-damned respect!"

Xander grit his teeth turned back to Tony and snarled. "What do you have worth respecting, Tony?"

Tony's bloodshot eyes widened at Xander's tone. He punched Xander in the face this time. Xander let him.

"That's the last time you hit me Tony."

"What are _you_ gonna do about it?" Xander's right hook sent a boneless Tony tumbling to the floor.

"You little bastard!" screeched out his mother's voice. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Standing up for myself. You should try it sometime."

"How **dare** you! I've sacrificed my life to have you. I could've made something of myself." Jessica sneered at her son, "Tony was right, I _should_ have aborted you."

Xander stared at his parents. Their actions and treatment of him ran contrary to every instinct he knew of, even the human ones, e_specially_ the human ones. How _anyone_ could treat their own child like this…

"Fuck this, I don't need to stay here. I'm getting my stuff and getting out of here. Goodbye _Mother_. And good _riddance_."

"What? You can't leave!"

"Watch me."

"Don't turn away from me, I'm not finished! You _will_ respect me you little-"

"_**Enough!**_" Xander's yell shook the entire house. In his anger, Xander did not notice. As the recipient of Xander's rage Jessica was keenly aware of the effect. "I have put up with the both of you for **years**, hoping that one day you'd both finally manage to crawl out of the bottle and _finally_ act like parents. That's **not** happening, is it? We'll I've had **enough**. I'm getting my things and leaving. And if I never see either one of you ever again, it'll be too soon."

***BTVS***

Shit, _shit_, **shit!** Okay, so maybe this hadn't been thought through completely. Okay, okay, it hadn't been thought through at all! But that was the last straw. Xander shifted the duffel bag on his shoulder. It was still a good idea to leave, even if he was wandering the streets of Sunnydale carrying five bags holding all his worldly possessions. Where was he going to stay? God **damn** his parents!

"Hey you order delivery?"

"Nah, but it seems he brought us some goodies."

Xander turned to the speakers; two men were lounging on a porch. Xander took a deep breath. _Vampires_!

"Hey meat!" called out one of the men as he stood up, "You ready for dinner?" The man smiled as his face changed.

"No," drawled Xander as he dropped his bags and stepped forward. The second man on the porch stood as Xander came closer. "But I _am_ ready to kick some ass!" The second's man face transformed. The two vampires looked at each other then burst out in laughter.

"You're funny. I like some entertainment when I eat." The vampire grinned and stepped forward. His eyes closed from his large grin, the vampire never saw Xander launch himself forward. The other vampire watched in shock as their meal ripped off his companion's head with his bare hands.

"Oh shi-," the vampire never finished his utterance before Xander was on him. Xander tackled him to the ground and straddled the prostate vampire. Xander's fists were pneumatic hammers and pounded down relentlessly. The vampire curled up in desperation. Xander did not stop until the vampire's head was pulp. The vampire burst into dust shortly after. Xander was breathing heavily when he caught the scents from inside the house. Growling deep in his chest he approached the door. Xander slammed the door open causing the five vampires inside to look up. The closest one, a young-looking brunette in a miniskirt sauntered up from her seat.

"Hey! Don't you know to knock?" Xander turned and plunged his hand into her chest, punching her heart out her back in a spray of tissue and bone. She burst into dust a moment after. The other vampires scrambled from their seats. Xander turned and snarled. The four vampires hesitated. Xander **roared** as he leapt forward toward the nearest vampire. The vampire put his arms up to defend himself but Xander fell on him like a rampaging lion. In seconds, the vampire lay in pieces on the floor.

The other vampires jumped onto Xander, trying to attack him at once. Xander barely noticed their blows or his injuries as he waded through them. One vampire found himself with a completely shattered neck and fell to the floor. Another bit into Xander's arm. Xander roared in pain, grabbed the vampire by the head and pulled him off. The vampire tried to pull Xander's hand off of his creaking skull but didn't make it before Xander used his free hand to chop the vampire's head off.

Another vampire jumped on Xander's back and clawed at his eyes. Xander grabbed the vampire, brought him over his head and slammed him onto his knee, breaking the vampire's back. The last vampire fell to Xander's kick collapsing his ribcage inward. He burst into dust soon after. Xander ripped the leg off a table and dusted the incapacitated vampires.

Xander stalked through the living room, growling all the while. There _had_ to be more prey, there just… Xander stopped in front of a mirror. He could barely recognize himself, covered in vampire dust, his face contorted in rage and… hunger. He looked himself in the eye and could barely recognize his own humanity. Xander stumbled back from the image, suddenly frightened. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and centered himself, concentrating on controlling the animal instincts and not letting them control him.

"Control, control, have to be in control," chanted Xander to himself. Once he was firmly in control, Xander systematically began to check the house over and stumbled upon the group's stash of petty cash and assorted valuables.

Maybe Giles could move some of this, thought Xander. Hey! Giles can probably help with getting a place, especially one that's affordable! With this new plan in mind, Xander quickly scavenged as much as he could and returned to his bags.

On the other side of the city, at the Zoo, the other animals heard Xander's earlier roar. The animals were now aware of a new predator. The lions, however, acknowledge that there was finally a king on the outer pride lands.

***BTVS***

"Xander? W- Why do you have so many bags with you?"

"Hey Giles. I, uh… I left home."

"You… you what!"

"I left home…"

Giles blinked and pulled off his glasses and began to frantically polish them. "Xander, what on **earth** possessed you to follow such a course of action?"

"I was tired of being a punching bag." Xander's matter-of-fact tone stunned Giles into immobility. Hesitantly, Giles placed his glasses back on and looked over his student. Giles took in his torn, battered and bruised appearance. Uncomfortably, undeniably, several pieces of the puzzle of Xander fell into place. Giles stepped aside. Xander smiled, said "Thank you," and stepped into the house.

"Did, did they do _this_ to you?" Giles motioned at the scratches and bruises visible through the tears in Xander's shirt.

"Uh… no, I knocked my father out before he could get started. I got these when I attacked a house full of vampires earlier."

"You… you… you…" Giles snatched his glasses off his nose and began polishing them furiously again. "Sit. Now." Giles gave up collecting his patience as a bad job. "What the bloody hell were you **thinking** attacking an entire **nest** of vampires? Never mind, it's obvious that you were not thinking at all! Despite what your parent's behavior might have led you to believe there _are_ people that care about you. I know for a fact that Willow and Buffy both would be devastated at your loss and I… I…" Giles began polishing his glasses again. "I would be quite put out if something were to happen to you."

Xander ducked his head and wiped the moisture from his eyes. Damn allergies!

"So…" began Xander after both men collected themselves, "I found a chest full of treasure in the nest. I was hoping you could help me cash it in so I have money to rent a place."

"I would be glad to help you sell your loot Xander but what is this nonsense about renting a place?"

"Uh… I have to live somewhere?"

"Well… I may have a solution. This house is large enough to accommodate the both of us and, truth be told, I would rather have you somewhere I could keep an eye on you. Go ahead and move your things into the guest bedroom upstairs."

"Thanks Giles!" gushed Xander, "I can pay you some rent as soon as…"

"Xander, I never mentioned rent being part of the arrangement," interrupted Giles with a smile. "On the other hand, you would probably like to have some spending money of your own. As it so happens, the last few months of supernatural activity have exceeded nearly all of the council's records, which happen to date back thousands of years." Giles pushed his glasses higher up on his nose. "As such, the council has seen fit to release funds for me to hire an assistant. Unfortunately, every applicant that I've had has withdrawn their application once they realized the extent of the… danger involved. You and Willow have already been a far greater help than any of the potential applicants could have been. It would be a simple matter for you to become my assistant and receive a salary from the council."

"Wouldn't you rather have someone trained for this?"

"Actually, Xander, you are already far more experienced in field work than almost every member of the Watcher's Council. And with your abilities, I think you'd be much better help than another academic will."

"Yeah, at least I have some brawn since I don't have any brains…"

"Xander!" Xander jumped back at Giles' harsh tone. "Now that I know some of your home life, more of your personality makes sense, particularly your low self-esteem. Now, are you or are you not taking all the same classes that Willow is?"

"Yes, but…"

"And is Willow not the smartest student in the school?"

"Pretty much, but…"

"So, if you are truly as stupid as **you** say you are, how do you explain your placement in all the same advanced courses as your _genius_ level friend?" Xander's mouth worked up and down. He'd never actually considered that point. He _was_ in all the smart kid's classes! Maybe he _wasn't_ as stupid as he thought he was? "Now, while you are living here, I refuse to allow you to put yourself down. Is that going to be a problem?"

"No… thank you, Giles."

"You're welcome. Now, upstairs, second door on the left, go ahead and get settled in. We're going patrolling in half an hour or so."

"No sweat, I'll be ready G-man!" called out Xander as he rushed upstairs.

"And stop calling me that infernal nickname!"

"Sure thing G!"

"What the bloody hell did I get myself into?" muttered Giles to himself.

***BTVS***

"Oh my god Xander I can't believe that happened I'm so sorry that they've gotten so bad you should have told me we could have gone to the police and removed you from that awful place sooner but you always said you could handle it and I'm so stupid for not listening to my parents when they said this happened in abuse cases and I ignored it but you can always came to me for help Xander and why didn't you mister-"

"Willow…"

"-we're supposed to be best friends and we've never kept secrets from each other so why are we starting now because I'll have you know I've never kept anything from you that was a danger to me okay maybe there was that Moloch thing but that didn't get dangerous until the end and wait are your parent's demons because that could explain so much especially since they've lived their entire lives on the hellmouth-"

"Willow!"

"…what?"

Xander, Buffy and Giles stared at Willow for a moment, each of them marveling at her lung capacity.

"It's okay Willow. This is just… it was time. I know you'd be happy taking me in but I doubt your parents would be very happy. Plus, now I get paid to do something I already do for free! Oh sure, there's a lot of tea and tweed to get used to," said Xander while he shot a grin at an annoyed Giles, "but it's still loads better than where I was before." Xander turned a serious gaze back to Willow. "I wasn't ready to ask for help before. But I always knew you'd be there for me." Willow almost crushed Xander with her hug. Once she released him Xander spied Buffy over her shoulder, arms crossed and her expression downcast. Buffy's head snapped up at his approach.

"Xander I'm so sorr-"

"Hey," said Xander softly, "don't feel bad, 'k?"

"But I didn't know-"

"How could you when I was hiding it from everyone, even myself?" asked Xander as he grasped Buffy by the shoulders. Her arms flopped to her sides and her entire body sagged.

"I should have done something-"

"You did. You were my friend. You _are_ my friend. Thank you." Buffy looked up at Xander. Sincerity was pouring off of him like sunlight. She smiled at her best male friend and stepped into him. They embraced each other tightly.

"Um, I don't wish to interrupt this moment of, of , of catharsis but we do have a patrol to run."

Buffy and Xander broke apart at Giles' words. Xander turned to Giles and smacked his fist against his open palm. "It's clobberin' time!"

***BTVS***

"I don't understand why I... why I have to follow Brett and his stupid band!" complained Cordelia. Giles took a quick breath to try and keep his calm.

"Because we have to clear their equipment before the finale. I told you."

"But the mood! It'll be all wrong!" Cordelia steps in front of Giles, forcing him to deal with her tantrum. "My song is about dignity and human feelings and personal... hygiene or something. Anyway, it's sappy, and no one is going to be feeling sappy after all that Rock and Roll." Damn the job thought Giles as he opened his mouth. He stopped and instead stared at Cordelia's hair.

"Uhhh, what?" asked an irritated Cordelia.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Um, your hair, uh..." Giles trailed off and continued to stare at Cordelia's hair in horrified fascination.

"There's something wrong with my hair?" Cordelia pulled her hair behind her ears nervously. Giles remained silent and continued to stare.

"Ohmygod!" Cordelia cracked at last and rushed off to the nearest restroom.

Giels watched Cordelia leave with a smile on his face. "Xander _was_ right," he muttered to himself, "it worked like a charm." A few minutes later, after listening to some more of the participants concerns, a grim faced Buffy and Willow approached Giles.

***BTVS***

"So she tripped?" asked Giles.

"No, she was pushed," stated Buffy, "and then something bumped into me."

"But you did not see what struck you?"

"Again, no I didn't!"

"I-I-I know you are growing irritated with my inquiry, Buffy, but I'm trying to understand what happened. The only supernatural beings I am aware of that are, uhm, unseen are ghosts or, or poltergeists. But neither manifests a physical presence as you've indicated."

"What about an invisible person?" asked Xander.

"Well, that may, may fit the facts Xander, but there are not very many means o-of rendering someone invisible. W-why do you ask?"

"Because for the last few weeks I've been, um, sensing, uh, someone who isn't there."

"Sensing?" asked Willow with a frown.

"When?" asked a skeptical Buffy.

"Uh, Giles, you remember when we came by after the big scanning project and I asked you if Ms. Calendar had stuck around?"

"Y-yes, as a matter of fact, I do recall your rather odd question."

"Well, I asked because I smelled a woman's deodorant." Giles' eyes widened at his realization that Xander must have smelled someone with his enhanced senses. Xander turned to Willow and Buffy, who looked skeptical. "It happened again when we were hanging out in front of the school after the whole Moloch thing. The door was open, when I'm sure I closed it and there was a scent of woman's deodorant again. I though it might've been you two, but you both, uh…" Xander blushed furiously, "you both, uh, smell different."

"We smell?" asked Buffy in a dangerous tone.

"What do you mean mister?" asked Willow as she crossed her arms.

"W-w-well, I, uh, I j-just meant that, that, uh," Xander's face felt like it was on fire as he glanced between the two girls. Giles stifled a grin behind his hand. Words suddenly burst out of Xander's mouth, "I meant that you both smell nice and pretty and very attractive, beautiful even…" Xander trailed off as Buffy and Willow burst into giggles. The heat of his face increased another notch. Xander dropped into the closest chair and crossed his arms refusing to meet anyone's looks.

"Enough," managed Giles through his chuckles, "perhaps we should investigate the music room further, if there is, in fact, an invisible person there."

"I'll go," said Buffy. She giggled again as she watched Willow, who had walked over, ruffle Xander's hairs as Xander leaned away from her hand. "Be back in a jiff!"

***BTVS***

"A nest?" queried Giles.

"It looked like she'd been there for months," answered Buffy. "It's where I found this." Buffy laid the yearbook on the table, opening it for Xander and Willow to see. Willow bent over the book to read the signatures while Xander placed a comforting hand on Buffy's shoulder. Buffy smiled at him and clasped his hand with her own.

"Oh, my God!" the group jumped at Willow's sudden exclamation. "'Have a nice summer. Have a nice summer.' This girl had no friends _at all_." Buffy and Xander nodded knowingly. Giles did not.

"Uh, once again I teeter at the precipice of the generation gap."

"'Have a nice summer' is what you write when you have nothing to say," explained Buffy.

"It's the kiss of death," added Xander.

"You guys didn't know Marcie Ross?" asked Buffy.

"Never met her," Xander frowned, "Why?"

"'cause you both wrote it, too," said Buffy as she pointed to a particular autograph.

"'Have a nice...' Yeesh!" Xander grimaced. How had he missed this girl?

"Where am I?" asked Willow. Buffy pointed out her signature. "Oh. 'Have a _great_ summer.' See, I cared!"

"You guys don't remember her?"

"No, I probably didn't see her except to sign the book. I mean, this is a big school."

"Xander, we each had four classes with her last year," stated Willow as she read Marcy's records, which she had printed up earlier.

"So, no one noticed her, and now she's invisible," said Buffy sadly.

"What, she turned invisible because no one noticed her?" asked Xander. He jumped along with Buffy and Willow when Giles struck the table.

"Of course!" exclaimed Giles as he rose from his sitting position. "I've been investigating the mystical causes of invisibility when I, I should have looked at the quantum mechanical!" He turned to notice the three teens looking at him blankly. "Physics."

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say, huh?" stated Buffy.

"It's a rudimentary concept that, that reality is shaped, even, even... created by our perception," said Giles as he reached for a book on the subject.

"And with the Hellmouth below us sending out mystical energy..." began Buffy.

"People perceived Marcie as, as, as invisible, and, and, and, and she became so," finished Giles.

"This isn't this great power that she can control. It's something that was done to her. That _we_ did to her," said a horrified Buffy.

"No wonder she's miffed," observed Willow.

"What does she want?" asked Xander.

"Cordelia." Buffy turned the yearbook to Willow and Xander to show them the marked up picture of Cordelia.

"Willow, Xander, you'll help me begin our research anew. Unless we find a way to cure Marcie's invisibility, then Buffy will be..." trailed off Giles not wanting to verbalize his fears. Xander stiffened suddenly.

"A sitting duck," stated Buffy. The gang moved to complete their tasks. Xander, however, made a beeline for the weapons cage. He removed a bag of chalk powder that Giles kept for use during practice.

"Hey!" The others turned at Xander's yell only to watch him toss the chalk out in front of him. Giles opened his mouth to reprimand Xander. His jaw widened in shock instead when the chalk settled on the obvious form of a person, who was now coughing and sputtering from Xander's unexpected assault.

"Marcy!" cried Willow.

"Well that was quick!" said Buffy. They all turned when two men burst into the library. They were wearing identical grey suits with black ties, and sunglasses on their faces. One of the men brandished a gun. Xander leapt out of the way as he fired. A dart struck Marcy and she staggered then dropped to the floor.

"Who are you…" began an outraged Giles.

"We watch those that watch," said man without the dart gun as he pulled out a wallet. Giles stilled at the passphrase and the government badge in the man's hand. "FBI, we've come for the girl."

"You think we're just going to let you take-"

"Xander!"

"Good." The FBI agent smiled at Giles while his partner secured Marcie with his cuffs. "We'll take Miss Ross. We already have experience with people in her condition." He turned to the stunned teens. Xander still looked quite rebellious. "Don't worry; she'll be taken care of. Thank you for your cooperation." The two men took the sedated Marcie with them. The library doors swung back and forth and came to a stop before anyone moved.

"Giles, what the hell?"

"Xander, I assure that those two gentlemen were most certainly agents of the government," Giles held a placating hand out towards Xander.

"And how the hell do you know that?" cried Xander angrily.

"The highest levels of government are all aware of the supernatural." At the teens incredulous looks Giles elaborated, "Do you honestly think that with all their, their, their paranoia about security and surveillance that they would be completely unaware of the existence of entire societies within their borders? The Watcher's council is based in England but has contacts in all nations of the globe with almost every government in the world. They used a passphrase and I've been trained to recognize all standard, and a few non-standard, forms of government identification. I assure you, those, those gentlemen were legitimate federal agents."

"But the police tried to convict me for setting fire to the gym?" asked a bewildered Buffy.

"The police are not the highest levels of government, Buffy. I assure that the local police force, or their superiors, or even the mayor is not aware of the supernatural." Willow hugged her downcast friend.

Giles adjusted his glasses then sighed when he saw that Xander was still angry. He walked over and clasped his hands on Xander's shoulders. "There's nothing else to be done. I assure you that Marcy will be looked after. And you've spared us a lot of trouble. As H.G. Wells' book indicates and Ms. Ross' yearbook and actions corroborate, several people may have been seriously injured before she was stopped." Xander's shoulders slumped as he nodded his acceptance. "Good, now, we need to discuss your act for the talent show."

The three teens groaned at a grinning Giles.

***BTVS***

Their act for the talent show was a huge success. Willow wrote a scene of a marital spat that devolved into a duel. Xander thought it was hilariously over the top. The audience agreed with him and was highly impressed by Buffy and Xander's athletic prowess. The ovation they received was a great feeling.

Watching Principal Snyder grumble and sulk was even better.

A few days later Buffy was coming around a corner when she was met by Willow and Xander.

"Oh, Buffy, we've been looking for you."

"We have?" questioned Xander.

"Um, about the spiders, did you talk to Giles about..."

"Oh, the spiders! Willow's been kind of, um, what's the word I'm looking for? Insane about what happened yesterday," said Xander with a wry smile.

"I don't like spiders, okay?" snapped Willow, "Their furry bodies, and their sticky webs, and what do they need all those legs for anyway? I'll tell you: for crawling across your face in the middle of the night." Willow shivered, "Ewww! How do they not ruffle you?"

"I'm sorry!" Xander shrugged unrepentantly, "I'm unruffled by spiders. Now, if a bunch of Nazis crawled all over my face..."

"Mm," nodded Buffy, "it was pretty intense."

"Thank you," exclaimed Willow gratefully.

"Well, the Hellmouth, the center of mystical convergence, supernatural monsters: been there," stated Xander simply.

"Little blasé there, aren't you?" asked Buffy with an arched brow.

"I'm not worried. If there's something bad out there we'll find, we'll slay, we'll party!" The group entered the library.

"Look at you, all Mister Confidence," teased Buffy.

"Who da man, Buff?" asked Xander, taking her teasing in stride.

"Okay," interrupted a frowning Willow, "but we're still caring about the spiders here. Let's not forget the spiders."

"Well, Giles said he was gonna look it up," said Buffy as she looked around the library for him. Not seeing him around, Buffy cried out, "Giles?"

"Maybe he's in the faculty room," suggested Willow.

Giles exited the stalks looking around wildly. He couldn't understand how he managed to get lost in the relatively small library. Or how there could have been so many stacks when there was clearly a limited number of-

"Hey, Giles! Wakey, wakey!" interrupted Buffy.

"I was, uh, in the stacks. I got lost," replied a still clearly confused Giles.

"Did you find any theories on spiders coming out of books?" asked Xander as he reached around to Willow's far shoulder with wiggling fingers. "Big, hairy, crawly..."

Willow jumped as Xander brushed against her shoulder. She spotted his hand, twisted back and struck Xander, who recoiled from her playfully. "It's funny if you're me," he told Willow with an unrepentant grin.

"I couldn't find anything, uh... particularly illuminating. Um, I think perhaps you'd best have a chat with Wendell himself," suggested Giles.

"Okay," agreed Buffy, "if he can still talk." Buffy looked at her watcher, wondering why he was acting so strangely before pushing it out of her mind.

The group headed out of the library as Giles looked back at the stacks. How did he get lost?

***BTVS***

Buffy spotted Wendell sitting morosely on a bench in front of the school. "Hey, Wendell! How are you?"

"Huh?" replied Wendell as he slowly looked up.

"You okay?" asked a concerned Buffy.

"Good talking to ya, man," said Xander as he patted Wendell on the back and began to leave. Buffy grabbed him before he could get away. Wendell finally noticed the three Scoobies gathered around him.

"Do you guys want something?"

"We just thought you might want to talk about what happened," said Buffy.

"You know, yesterday?" Willow shuddered but forced herself to continue, "with the spiders?"

"I don't know what to say about that." Wendell shrugged weakly.

"There's nothing _to_ say. You saw two hundred insects, you Gonzoed, anybody would have!"

"They're not insects," Wendell snapped at Xander, "they're arachnids."

"They're from the Middle East?" asked Xander, deliberately misunderstanding him. Wendell ignored Xander's antics.

"Spiders are arachnids. They have eight legs. Insects only have six. Why does everyone make that mistake?"

"Don't know," said Buffy. "Has anything like this ever happened before?" Wendell hesitantly nodded, surprising everyone. "When?"

"Lots of times."

"Ew!" cried Willow, "You must hate spiders more than I do." She was shocked when Wendell simply laughed.

"I don't hate spiders. I love 'em." His smile turned into a frown. "They hate _me_."

Cordelia was passing by when she stopped and turned to Buffy. "I hope you studied for the history test."

"What history test?"

"The one we're having in fourth period right now."

"There's a history test?" asked a wide-eyed Buffy. "Nobody told me there was a history test!" she cried in a growing panic "I haven't, I, Okay, I will catch up with you guys later." Buffy ran off to her history class.

"What do you mean, you love spiders?" asked Willow as she sat next to Wendell.

"It is platonic, right?" asked a chuckling Xander.

"I had the best collection in the tri-county area," said Wendell wistfully. "Browns and tarantulas and black widows... then my folks shipped me off to wilderness camp." Wendell frowned. "All my brother had to do was maintain their habitats. Instead he left their heat lamp on for a week. When I came home they were all dead. That's when the nightmares started."

"The nightmares?" asked Willow.

"It's always the same. I'm sitting in the classroom, teacher asks me to read something, I open up my book and then there they are. They're comin' after me. God, can you blame them after what I did?"

"And that's how it happens?" asked Xander, wondering what this new information meant, "Every time?"

"Yesterday in class I thought I'd just nodded off again. But then everyone else started screaming, too."

***BTVS***

"I'm just saying, Wendell had a dream and then that exact thing happened," argued Willow.

"Which is a fair wiggins, I admit, but do you think that ties in with Laura getting KOed in the boiler room?" asked Xander.

"I dunno. Maybe she dreamed about getting beat up. We should ask Buffy when she gets back from the hospital?"

"Oh, there's my little baby!" Xander looked up to see a trio of punkers hanging out in front of the restrooms. One of them looked absolutely horrified at the older woman that was heading straight for him.

"Mom, what are you doing here? Mom.-" He stood there, stunned, as his mother kissed him and pinched his cheek.

"How's my little pookie?"

"Mom, mom, please don't kiss me in front of the guys! It's embarrassing, mom! Please!" he begged her. She laughed at him.

"You cute little rascal, you!"

"Mom..." he blushed furiously, "thanks, but Mom, please, my friends are right here..."

The sound of Willow shutting her locker took Xander's attention away from the funny scene. Her books in hand, Willow walked to their next class, Xander reluctantly pulled away from watching the punk be mortally embarrassed.

"It could be a coincidence," suggested Xander, "Y'know, Wendell finds a spider's nest, and we all wig because he dreamt about spiders. So it may not be connected." Willow hummed noncommittally. She thought that he might have a point. Xander opened the door for Willow, who smiled at him, still unused to Xander's new manners. "If there is a connection," continued Xander, "it doesn't sound like anything…" Xander walked into class behind Willow when everyone began laughing. "What?"

Willow looked around, confused. Willow wondered if they were laughing at her. However, she noticed that they were looking behind her. She turned around to see… Xander! Naked Xander! Naked Muscular Xander!

"Xander!" Willow squeaked out, "What happened to your…" she couldn't bring herself to finish the question. Instead her gaze was drawn downward to Xander's… not so little Xander! Oh my god!

"What happened to my what?" asked Xander. He noticed the direction of her gaze and looked down. At first he wondered what happened to his shirt. Then he noticed that he was missing other, more vital pieces of clothing. "What the hell? I was _just_ dressed!" Xander looked around wildly. He must have fallen asleep somewhere. "Okay, I just have to wake up." Xander pinched himself on the arm. "Ow!" He did it again, with the same results. Holy crap, maybe he wasn't asleep! But that would mean that…

Xander turned around and ran at top speed towards gym and his only spare set of clothes. Willow ran after him but couldn't keep up with him.

"Wow, he's gotten fast. Slaying must keep him in shape." Willow blushed to the roots of her hair as she remembered the rest of Xander's shape.

***BTVS***

"Red alert! Where's Buffy?" cried Xander, now wearing his gym clothes. He was furious. He'd lost his best jacket!

"Uh, she, she just stepped out. Her, her father came by early. He, he needed to talk to her. W- where are your other clothes?"

"Oh, don't I wish I had the answer to **that** question."

"Xander kind of found himself in front of our class not wearing much of anything," answered a blushing Willow.

"Anything?" asked an incredulous Giles.

"Yeah! It was really..." the still blushing Willow turned to Xander and squeaked.

"It was a total nightmare!" yelled Xander as he threw his hands in the air in frustration.

"Well, yeah Xander!" Willow's eyes had gone wide. Surely it couldn't be that simple? "I-it's _your_ nightmare!"

"Except the part with me waking up goin' 'it's all a dream'. It happened."

"Like what happened to Wendell! That thing with the spiders? Wendell had a recurring dream about that."

"I-I dreamt that I got lost in the stacks and I... I couldn't read... of course!"

"Uh, our dreams are coming true?" asked a slightly confused Xander.

"Dreams? That would be a musical comedy version of this," said Giles. "Nightmares, our, our nightmares are coming true."

"So, why is this happening?" asked Willow

"Billy."

"Well, that explanation was shorter than usual." Xander turned to Willow, "It's Billy!" He frowned then turned back to Giles, "Who's Billy?"

"He's a boy in the local hospital. He was beaten. He's in a coma. Somehow I think he's crossed over from the nightmare world he's trapped in."

"And he brought the nightmare world with him." Xander grimaced, "thanks a bunch, Billy."

"How could he do that?" asked a curious Willow.

"These things tend to occur when you live on a hellmouth," explained Giles.

"We have to stop this," said Xander firmly as he grasped the enormity of what was happening.

"And soon," agreed Giles. "Or else everyone in Sunnydale is going to be facing their own worst nightmares." Giles began walking out of the library. "Buffy doesn't know this is happening. And given the sort of thing that she tends to dream about, it's imperative that we find her."

"Probably faster if we split up to look for her," suggested Xander as they stepped into the hall.

"Good idea," agreed Giles as he turned to his left. Xander turned to his right and began running down the hall.

"Oh, uh, faster, but..." Willow stood in place and watched them both leave. "…not really safer," she finished to herself.

Xander turned down another hall and opened the door. He stopped in the doorway, stunned. The hall before him was covered in blood. The overhead lights flickered. Xander cautiously stepped forward. There were sheets of plastic hanging from the ceiling, preventing him from seeing very far. However, after passing two sheets he saw a pair of limbs on the floor. They weren't a matching set.

"What the fuck happened here?" muttered Xander to himself. He stepped forward. The body parts increased the more plastic sheets he passed. Finally he passed the last sheet and looked down the hall. At the end of the hall he saw a man huddled over a corpse. He was spattered in blood and was wearing jeans that were almost completely torn off his body. The man stilled as if sensing Xander's gaze. Slowly he stood up and turned around. His bare chest was drenched in blood and gore. The man's hands were the worst, with pieces of meat stuck to him with dried blood. His grimy and scraggly long hair obscured his face until he looked up directly at Xander. His face looked like a human face that someone had molded to look like a lion. However, Xander instantly recognized him.

It was himself with the Lion spirit in full control.

"Holy shit," whispered Xander. The Primal grinned at him before lunging forward. Xander turned and ran the way he came. The Primal was fast but seemed content to chase him. Xander spotted Willow rushing out of a door, tomatoes following her. She slammed the door shut then saw Xander running toward her.

"I had to sing!" she yelled, "Very bad to sing!"

"Run!" yelled Xander. Willow frowned, until she spotted the Primal that was chasing Xander. She screamed and ran down the hall, Xander a step behind her. They turned the corner and saw Giles up ahead.

"No sign of Buffy?" he asked them. They both grabbed him and pulled him in their direction. Giles saw the Primal turn the corner and started running as well. While Giles and Willow ran through an exit to the school, Xander stopped and turned around. The Primal stopped several yards away from him. Giles and Willow came back through after a moment, having quickly realized that Xander was no longer behind them.

"Xander?" asked Willow tentatively. The Primal growled and leered at Willow. Xander growled at the Primal, having recognized the implicit threat in his leer. No one threatened Willow!

Xander launched himself forward. The Primal, caught off guard by the suddenness of his attack leapt back. Xander threw several haymakers at the Primal. The Primal ducked and dodged. His counterattack was not a punch, which Xander expected, but a swipe with his nails. The nails tore deep gashes in Xander's forearm.

Xander stumbled back, grasping at his forearm in pain. The Primal grinned and advanced. Xander threw another pair of haymakers, completely forgetting everything that Giles had taught him about fighting in his agitation. The Primal ducked, spun, put his hands on the ground, and delivered a double rear thrust kick that sent Xander flying through a classroom door.

Willow squealed as she covered her mouth in shock. Giles finally understood that Xander was fighting his Primal self. He hoped that Xander could defeat him on his own, but it looked like he would have to intervene. He took a step forward as the primal leapt into the room. Giles and Willow stilled as they heard tremendous crashing sounds coming from the room. A figure came flying out of the doorway and crashed into the wall. It was the Primal! The Primal growled as it stood up and never saw the teacher's desk that flew out of the classroom towards him. The desk smashed the Primal into the wall. The Primal roared as he swept the desk aside and stumbled forward.

Willow and Giles stared in shock as a scratched up Xander ran out of the class room and launched himself into a front dropkick that smashed the Primal into the wall a third time. Xander used the recoil from his impact to flip himself onto his feet. The Primal stumbled forward after the attack, now well and truly stunned. Xander grabbed the Primal's head.

"I'm the Alpha," he whispered furiously to the Primal, who stared at him wide-eyed. "Me. **Not** You. This is **my** pride. Mine!" Xander snapped the Primal's neck with a sharp twist. He let the limp body fall to the floor. Xander fell to his knees and breathed heavily. His body began shaking slightly as the adrenaline left his system.

"Xander!" cried Willow as she ran up to him. Giles followed behind her, happy for his charge's victory and wondering what this meant for Xander's mentality. "Oh my god, are you okay?"

Xander took a deep breath and stood. He nodded. "I'm fine. C'mon, let's find Buffy." The group ran outside.

"Are you sure you feel alright Xander?"

"I feel good, actually," Xander told Willow, "liberated, in a way." Throngs of terrified people were running wildly all around them.

"You seem to be the only one," said Giles. "Things are getting worse. In a few hours reality will fold completely into the realm of nightmares."

"Well, what do we do?" asked a panicked Willow.

"The only thing I can think is to try and wake Billy."

"Uh, no," said Xander firmly, "we can't leave without Buffy."

"Agreed," Giles nodded, "but who knows where she might have gone?"

"Excuse me, when did they put a cemetery in across the street?" asked Willow as she pointed at a rift.

"And when did they make it night over there?" asked Xander. The group walked forward through the rift. Xander looked around at the fairly standard graveyard. "Whose nightmare is this?"

"It's mine." The two teens turned to Giles, who was staring at a tombstone in dismay. Written on the tombstone was the legend: Buffy Summers 1982 – 1997. Giles knelt next to the grave. "I've failed... in my duty to protect you. I should have been more c... cautious, taken more time to train you. But you were so gifted. And the evil was so great. I'm sorry..." As he moved to stand a hand reached out of the soil and grabbed his. Willow screamed. Xander grabbed Giles and pulled him back, inadvertently pulling Buffy out of the grave. She stood and brushed herself off. "Buffy?" asked Giles tentatively. Buffy looked up at Giles, revealing her vampire face.

"I thought I was dead!"

"Buffy, your face!" exclaimed Willow.

Buffy felt her face and realized what happened. "Oh, God!" she cried as she covered her face and turned away from her friends. Xander walked toward her.

"Buffy..."

"Don't look at me!"

Xander ignored her cries and pulled her hands away from her face. She hesitantly looked up at Xander. Xander wiped the tears from her cheeks then cradled her face in his hands.

"It doesn't matter what you look like. I know **you**, Buffy, and you'll _always_ be beautiful to me." Xander was rocked back by the suddenness of Buffy's embrace, but managed to keep his feet and returned her hug.

"You never told me you dreamt of becoming a vampire," said Giles.

"This isn't a dream," mumbled Buffy as she buried her face in Xander's chest.

"No. No, it's not. But there's a chance that we can make it go away. This all comes from Billy. Now, if, if we can only wake him up, I believe that the nightmares will stop and reality will shift back into place, but we must do it now! I need you to hold together long enough to help us. Can you do that?"

Buffy stepped away from Xander and looked up at Giles. She turned and smiled at Xander. Despite her vampiric features making her smile look quite vicious, Xander returned her smile.

"Yeah," Buffy nodded at Giles, "I think I can."

"Thank you."

"Well, we better hurry," said Buffy as she started toward the hospital, "'cause I'm getting hungry."

"You ain't the only one," muttered Xander under his breath.

"Are you sure everything will go back once he's awake?" asked a doubtful Willow.

"Oh, uh, positive," said Giles, trying to reassure himself as well.

"Well, how do we wake Billy up? What if we can't?"

"Willow," sighed Giles, "do shut up."

***BTVS***

Xander grimaced as he threw another zombie through a window. He was going to kill George Romero! "Why the hell is _everyone_ in this _fucking_ hospital having nightmares about zombies!"

"The zombie mythos represents disease running rampant and our own bodies being out of our control. Common fears for hospitalized patients."

"Well la-dee-da!"

"Stop complaining Xander! At least you aren't a vampire! What was your nightmare, running out of Twinkies?"

"No Buff," replied Xander seriously, "my nightmare was being possessed by a Primal spirit and becoming a cannibal." Buffy stopped and spun at Xander's statement. How did he escape that?

"Is that what that thing was?" asked a pale Willow. Xander, who was hanging his head, nodded. Giles clapped a hand onto Xander's shoulder making him look up.

"You should be proud Xander. You managed to beat your nightmare. I, I think that very few people have overcome such a great fear as you did."

"Thanks G."

"I, I'm sorry Xander its just…" Buffy motioned toward her vampire features.

"No sweat Buffy. Come on, let's find Billy and end this." They ran down the hall, Buffy and Xander in the lead. They dispatched several zombies and a rabid dog before they finally arrived at Billy's room. A doctor stood in front of the room, looking in. Giles ran up to the doctor.

"Doctor! Is the boy Billy still here?"

"My hands!" cried the doctor, holding his clearly crippled limbs up. He stumbled away, moaning about his ruined extremities. The group watched him for a moment. Then, Giles, Xander and Willow entered Billy's room.

"What now?" asked Xander as he looked at the comatose child on the hospital bed.

"Um," Giles thought for a moment before bending down. "Billy! Billy?"

"That won't work." The group turned to the voice and see Billy standing in a corner of the room.

"Billy! Uh, Billy, you have to wake up," Giles said firmly.

"No," Billy shook his head, "I told her, I have to hide."

"Why?" asked Giles. "From what?"

"From him!" exclaimed Buffy from out in the hall. Xander ran out of the room. He saw a very ugly man with a club-like hand stalking toward them.

"Shit, that doesn't look good. What do we do?"

"I think I know," said Buffy as she removed her jacket.

"Whatever it is, it better be soon!" cried Willow, having looked out the window and spotted giant wasps all over the city.

"Glad you showed up!" said Buffy perkily as she stepped toward the ugly man. "You see, I'm having a really bad day."

"Lucky nineteen!" it growled. Xander followed Buffy towards the monster.

"Scary!" Buffy nodded mockingly. "I'll tell you something, though. There are a lot scarier things than you." She dropped her false smile as her slayer instincts took over. "And I'm one of them."

She roared and leapt onto the ugly man, knocking him down. She started to pound him in the head. The ugly man managed the get his feet under her and kicked her away. Buffy skidded on the slick hospital floor. She saw Xander leap over her and grab the ugly man as he got to his feet.

Xander threw the ugly man into the wall before planting his foot in the man's face, embedding his head slightly. Xander stepped back and launched a right straight at the monsters face. The monster was not stunned, however, and batted Xander aside with his club hand. Xander landed on his side, the ugly man's blow having knocked him completely off his feet.

The ugly man ignored the closer target and charged after Buffy. Buffy, just having stood up again, planted her foot in the ugly man's midsection and rolled with his attack. Her circle throw sent the ugly man through the window of Billy's room. Willow screamed, causing Buffy and Xander to scramble into the room.

Buffy ran in and body checked the monster into a wall. The ugly man roared as he swung his club hand around in a circle. Buffy leapt back to avoid his swing, but the monster continued his attack, forcing her back. Before he could corner her Xander grabbed the monster from behind and threw him against the wall. Buffy ran up to the ugly man and hit him with a spinning thrust kick. She moved aside, having spotted Xander laying himself flat against the wall opposite the monster.

Pushing himself off the wall, Xander took two strides before he leapt up and smashed his knee into the monster's face. Bouncing off the monster, Xander stepped back for another attack but stopped as the ugly man slumped to the ground. Xander held up his hand. Buffy happily gave him a high five.

"I-is he dead?" asked a wary Billy.

"Come here, Billy," said Buffy. Billy shook his head.

"I, I don't..."

"You have to do the rest." Billy slowly walked up to the ugly man with Buffy.

"What are they doing?" asked Willow, only to have Giles shush her. She clenched her mouth shut and looked over at Xander, who was looking at Billy and nodding approvingly.

"No more hiding." Billy looked up at Buffy and nodded. Billy peeled the ugly man's face off like a mask. A bright light streamed out of the man before everything was engulfed in the light. Once everyone could see again they noticed that everything was back to normal. Xander happily noted that his jacket was back. He looked over at Buffy who was feeling her normal face and smiling. Willow and Giles both breathed sighs of relief. Xander then noticed Billy's eyes opening.

"Hey, he's waking up!"

"I had the strangest dream," said Billy as he looked at the Scoobies. "And you were in it, and you... Who are you people?"

"Let's get a doctor," suggested Giles. He and Xander walked towards the door when a man in a cap walked in.

"Oh! Huh. Billy's got company." The man removed his baseball cap. Xander noticed the slight tremor in his hands. "I-I-I'm his kiddie league coach. I come by here every day, just hoping against hope that he's gonna wake up soon. He's, uh, my lucky nineteen." Giles and Buffy exchanged a look. All the pieces were now falling into place. "So, um, how is he?"

Buffy stepped aside so he could see Billy. "He's awake."

"What?"

"You blamed him for losing the game. So you caught up with him afterwards, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You said that it was my fault that we lost," said the now sitting Billy. The coach looked around wildly for a moment before turning around and trying to rush out the door. Xander quickly reached out and grabbed him by the jacket, holding him tightly.

"It **wasn't** my fault," said Billy firmly. "There's eight _other_ players on the team. You _know_ that."

"Nice going!" said Buffy as she smiled at Billy. Billy smiled back.

***BTVS***

"I just can't believe a kiddie league coach would do something like that," said Buffy.

"Well, you obviously haven't played kiddie league," said Xander with a grimace, "I'm surprised it wasn't one of the parents."

"I'm just glad he's behind bars where he belongs," said Willow.

A car horn drew the groups attention. Buffy's father exited his car and waved to his daughter. Buffy waved back and then turned to her friends.

"Have a killer weekend, guys!" Willow and Xander waved to their friend. Buffy ran up to her father and gave him a hug. As Buffy got in the car with her father, Willow turned to Xander.

"Personal question?"

"Yeah, shoot!"

"When Buffy was a vampire, you weren't still, like, attracted to her, were you?" Xander stared at Willow for a moment.

"She might not have looked her best, but she was still Buffy, inside. Isn't that what counts?"

Willow smiled at his answer. Her smile faded a little at her next question. "What about me?"

"You'll _always_ be my Willow," said Xander as he threw an arm around her. "C'mon, let's get some grub, my treat."

***BTVS***

"Who's there?" Giles looked around. He could have sworn he heard something. After a moment he placed the books in his hand into the cabinet and closed the glass doors. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass. He turned around only to almost run into Angel.

"Good lord!" He spun around. He could see his reflection, but there was no one else in the glass. He turned back to face Angel. "A vampire casts no reflection."

"Don't worry. I'm not here to eat." Giles was not entirely reassured.

"Buffy told me you don't feed from humans anymore."

"Not for a long while."

"Is that why you're here? To see her?"

"I can't. It's, uh... It's too hard for me to be around her."

Giles opened his mouth to remark on the poetic irony of a vampire being in love with the Slayer. He remembered Xander's crush, however. This was Xander's rival for Buffy's affection. Giles made up his mind to try and nudge Buffy away from Angel, toward Xander. "What can I, uh... What can I do for you?

"I know you've been researching the Master."

"Yes, the vampire king. I've tried to learn as much as I can about him for the day that Buffy must face him."

"Something's already in motion, something big, but I don't know what," said Angel grimly. "You've read all the Slayer lore there is, right?"

"I-I've studied all the extant volumes, of course. But the, uh, most salient books of Slayer prophecy have been lost. The Tiberius Manifesto, the Pergamum Codex-"

"The Codex?"

"It's reputed to have contained the most complete prophecies about the Slayer's role in the end years. Unfortunately, the book was lost in the 15th century."

"Not lost. Misplaced. I can get it."

"Truly? That would be most helpful! Uh, m-my own volumes have... been rather useless of late."

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Angel turned away to leave but stopped mid-step. He turned back around. "How's Buffy?"

Giles eyed Angel for a moment. "She's well. She's been patrolling with Xander every night." A part of Giles was glad to note the grimace that passed over Angel's face. He decided to twist the knife a bit. "They work very well together. I'm not surprised with how close they've gotten over the last few months." Giles almost smiled at the grimace he spotted out of the corner of his eye.

"T- That's good. She should have someone to watch her back."Giles nodded.

"Do you have far to go to get the codex?"

"No, but… I should go as soon as possible." Without another word Angel turned and left. Giles walked into his office with a smirk. He'd help where he could but the rest would be up to Xander. Now if he could just get Xander to stop haranguing him about that damn Calendar woman!


	5. The Pergamum Codex

**Chapter 5 – The Pergamum Codex**

"W- w- w- w- what was that again?"

"He said twenty-six."

"That's, that's, that's…"

"Twice the number we usually catch a night, G, I know. They seem to be getting pretty frisky."

"Yeah, what was up with those vamps? They were walking downtown all grr!"

"They made no move to hide themselves?"

"Nope, they were just walking down the street like they owned the place. Now they're fertilizer for the park. Hey, can we get a reward for helping beautify Sunnydale, Buff?"

"We should get one twice over, did you see their clothes? Those shirts were committing visual assault."

"While normally I would jump to the defense of the Hawaiian shirt, now that I don't have to wear Ol' Slappy's hand-me-downs, I'm free to agree with you." Both Giles and Buffy made a face at the reminder of Xander's abusive parents. Xander plowed on, "Plus, you know, them walking around all demon face, definitely helping to uglify our town."

"That's triple score! We should get a medal," she said with a nod before turning to Giles, "Where's our medal?"

Giles looked back and forth at both of his charges in disbelief. Didn't they realize that… hang on… Xander's lip twitched! Why those cheeky- Giles scoffed, "I'll make sure to file the recommendation with city hall first thing in the morning. Now, if you two can be serious for a moment, we need to discuss the matter of the, the, the rather numerous encounters you had tonight."

"There has been a marked increase in vampire activity over the past week Giles," said Xander, who drew stares from both Buffy and Giles. Buffy was staring because of how serious her normally goofy friend had suddenly become. Giles was staring because his charge's vocabulary seemed to be improving and he was actually _analyzing_ his patrols!

"Yes, I was wondering if either of you noticed that as well."

"I gots ta earn that council money somehow!" There was Buffy's goofy friend!

"I assure you Xander that your, your, salary is more than earned."

"I keep forgetting you're on the council payroll now. How does it feel to be a working man?"

Xander immediately hunched over held his arms like a gorilla, and grunted. "Work good, bring home bacon. Woman!" he grunted as he poked Buffy in the ribs. She danced away from his tickling digit. "Cook food, me hungry!" Buffy giggled at his antics. "On second thought, me already have one life threatening experience today. Order pizza instead." Buffy stopped giggling and frowned at Xander.

"Hey!"

"C'mon Buff. You burned the water," he reminded her with a smirk.

"You promised not to bring that up! That's the last time I ever cook for you!"

"_Thank you_." Buffy cried out in frustration and stomped her foot. Xander grinned at her antics.

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. "Children, _please_, as fascinating as teenage mating rituals are," both Buffy and Xander gave a cry of outrage at this, "can we finish this debriefing?"

"Alright, Grumpy Gus, there were a lot of vampires. We don't know why though. Figure that's more your department," Xander told Giles.

"Yes, well, I've had no luck deciphering the trend of current events. As I told you when I hired you Xander, the amount of supernatural activity that we've encountered recently is simply unprecedented in all the recorded history the council has available to them."

"Um… what?"

"Hellmouth-y goodness, Buff."

"Oh. Why didn't you just say so?"

"I, I, I thought I made that perfectly clear!"

Buffy huffed at her watcher. "Hello Giles, we speak English, not tweed-ish."

"I beg your pardon, but _I_ speak English. What you speak is very much open for debate."

"Okay, enough with ragging on the colonials, G. Is this a normal trend for Sunnydale? I don't remember any rash of disappearances when I was younger. It just seemed to be happening all the time."

"Yes, the rate of mysterious deaths and disappearances seemed to have remained steady until your arrival in Sunnydale, Buffy."

"Good to know that I make a difference." Buffy glanced at her watch. "I gotta go. I'll see you guys later!"

"Wait up, Buff, I'll walk you home."

"Oh! Uh, I'm, uh, not going home."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting up with Angel. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Buffy beat a hasty retreat. Xander's shoulder's sagged. Giles placed a comforting hand on Xander's shoulder.

"Chin up Xander, one date does not a relationship make."

"That's one date that _he_ has on me."

"Keep trying Xander, I'm sure she'll come around. Now, let's pack up and head home. You still have your studies to finish."

"Aww, do I have to?"

"Yes. The more you know the better prepared you'll be to face what's out there."

"Sure Giles," said a resigned Xander.

***BTVS***

"So how'd your date go?" asked Willow with a grin.

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "It wasn't a date. He just wanted to tell me that he'd be out of town for a while. He said he had something he needed to do."

"Oh. Well, at least he cared enough to let you know."

"I guess. I'm just not sure that we're going anywhere, you know."

"I get the feeling," said Willow as she watched Xander walk up to them.

"Is it just me or was Ms. Tishler acting funny today?"

"I think she's still a bit freaked over the spiders. Not that I blame her," added Willow quickly.

"Ah, no wonder she changed her mind about reading the next chapter in class," said Xander. "So… you two ladies do anything interesting yesterday?" Xander glanced at Buffy as he asked the question. He saw her glance at him from the corner of her eyes. Willow missed the byplay between her two friends, however.

"I just stayed home studying some of the books that Giles gave me."

"Helsington's Compendium of Night Creatures?"

"Yeah," confirmed Willow with a startled glance at Xander. "How did you know?"

"He's been making me read the same books."

"Really?" asked Buffy with a frown. Giles hadn't asked _her_ to study.

"Yeah, know your enemy and all that."

"He never told me to read anything!"

"I asked him about that," said a grinning Xander. "He said, and I quote 'Buffy's penchant for improvisation seems to preclude a scholarly approach to her duties'." His imitation of Giles was close enough that Willow couldn't help but burst out giggling.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Would you have studied if he had told you to?"

"Of course," Buffy affirmed emphatically. Xander merely raised a brow at her. She cracked after a few seconds. "Ah, well, um, maybe?"

"That's okay Buffy. I mean, what are friends for if not to let you know how to slay the latest Bumpies."

"Bumpies?" questioned Xander.

"You know," replied Willow, "things that go bump in the night."

"I was thinking of going with Deadites."

"Deadites?" Buffy asked Willow.

"Evil Dead reference," Willow answered.

"Hail to the king, baby!" Xander swore that he'd try to work more of Bruce Cambell's lines into his Pun Fu.

"Evil Dead?"

Xander stared at Buffy aghast. "You don't know Evil Dead?" Buffy shook her head, taken aback by Xander's reaction. "That's it, movie night. We're watching all three movies. You still have copies?"

"Of course. You'll bring the popcorn?"

"Tonight?" asked Buffy.

"Of course tonight! We cannot let this deficiency in your education continue!"

"I agree."

Buffy, Xander and Willow spun at the sound of the hated voice. Damn it! He had been so engrossed in the conversation that he let his situational awareness slip. He'd purposefully memorized Principal Snyder's scent to keep from being surprised _just like this!_

"_Principal_," drawled Xander. Snyder's eyes narrowed at Xander's tone.

"I've got my eyes on you Harris. Don't think I've forgotten about your little stunt at the talent show."

Xander ruthlessly suppressed a smirk. "I'm not sure what happened. The staff just seemed to slip out of my fingers and hurl into the audience straight into your seat and _just_ missed you. I'm really sorry about that." Willow's eyes bulged but Xander's false sincerity was convincing enough that Snyder didn't act on it.

"Make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Sorry. You know, accidents do happen."

"A phrase your parents have said with regret many times, I'm sure."

Buffy and Willow stared agape at the principal. They both started when Xander began growling deep in his chest. Principal Snyder stepped back. Looking up and down the hall, he realized that everyone else was already in class and Xander's glare promised very dark things.

"G-go on, g-g-get to class," he told them as he stepped back and then nearly broke into a run. Willow stared bewildered at Xander. Buffy took a more direct approach and rubbed Xander's back. His entire body was so tense he was vibrating. After a few moments of her touch he relaxed.

"Come on Xander, let's go to class."

"Yeah."

***BTVS***

"I can't believe you didn't like it!"

"Oh, come on Xander, it was really cheesy."

"It's supposed to be cheesy and campy! That's what makes it funny!"

"Well…"

"Come on, even you have to admit those lines are classic!"

"Alright! Yes! Bruce Campbell is pretty cool," admitted Buffy reluctantly. "His Quip Fu is good."

"Yes!" Xander exclaimed with a fist pump, "another victory for the Bruce!"

Buffy laughed at him.

***BTVS***

"I've told you Xander, there is no technique for wielding a hammer! It's not an elegant weapon, like the rapier."

"I agree Mjolnir the second isn't elegant but it is mighty!" Giles stared at Xander. Another great pop culture reference lost on Giles. Xander sighed then continued, "Are you telling me that no one ever developed a fighting style for a hammer?" Giles began shaking his head, "Not even the Vikings? Are you telling me that in all the records the council has that no one, not even a slayer, has ever wielded a hammer?"

"Despite the imagery of Thor and his hammer, the Vikings used small battle axes instead of hammers. The greatest recorded use of hammers came near the end of the age of armor. Plate mail had developed to the point where a sword could not cleave through the armor. The bludgeoning force of the hammer was used instead. However, the maul, which most closely resembles your sledgehammer, was used by very few groups and was never formalized into a fighting style."

Xander visibly deflated. "Damn."

"Don't worry Xander, perhaps you can use some of the techniques for wielding battle axes. As for a fighting style, I suggest you simply practice swinging your hammer and see what is possible. Oh, and uh, aim for the center of mass. With your strength and the force the hammer can impart, you'll do more damage that way than trying for a killing shot. As I understand it, when you finished Moloch, you did so once you had him incapacitated on the ground." Xander nodded. "Perhaps you should use that as your primary technique."

"What, knock them down then knock them out?"

"Rather simply put but, um, yes, that's it exactly. We still have a few hours left before Buffy returns for her patrol. Oh yes, and thank you for once again expanding on the cultural miasma that is American media and exposing Buffy to Bruce Campbell last week."

"You're welcome," replied Xander obliviously.

Giles stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and walking away while grumbling under his breath.

"Hmm," Xander took an experimental swing with his hammer. "Alright then, let's see what this baby can do."

***BTVS***

"Fore!"

The vampire flew over the cemetery wall and bounced off pine tree with a sickening crack. The vampire burst into dust as it fell.

Twenty feet inside the cemetery, Xander rested his hammer on his shoulder as he reached down to help Buffy up.

"C'mon Buff, no lying down on the job."

"Quiet you. Hammer or no, I'm still the slayer. I have seniority over you." Buffy dusted herself off and turned around. "Do I have grass stains on the back of my shirt?"

Xander stared at Buffy's… shirt. No, really! "No," gritted out Xander, not trusting his voice any further than that.

"Good. Slaying is murder on my wardrobe!"

"Just wait 'til you see what we'll do to you." Buffy and Xander spun at the sound of the new voice. Coming at them were a group of seven vampires. Buffy assumed a fighting stance that made the vampires chuckle as they continued their approach. Xander merely glared at them until they were ten feet away.

Buffy turned her head, her vision automatically drawn to the burst of motion. She watched as Xander leapt forward and covered the distance to the vampires in two large strides. Xander brought down his hammer on the head of a vampire. The vampire's skull was pulverized by the force of Xander's sledgehammer. Xander's follow through slammed the now headless body to the ground.

As the body burst into dust, Xander spun with the momentum of his hammer and brought it around in a horizontal strike, catching one vampire with his swing and slamming him into the vampire next to him. Both vampires were carried along on the rest of Xander's swing and flung towards Buffy. Buffy charged forward and thrust her stake through both Vampires. The bodies hung onto her arm, slowing down her forward charge until they too burst into dust.

Xander turned to his right and advanced on a lone vampire with a series of quick strikes with his hammer.

Buffy engaged the last two vampires, knocking one down to the floor with a roundhouse kick and trading a flurry of blows with the other. None of the vampire's strikes landed, but Buffy scored several hits.

One of Xander's strikes cracked the vampire's forearm. Cradling his broken arm, the vampire held still long enough for Xander to land a full-force blow on his shoulder, sending him spinning into the air. Xander pulled out a stake and ran after the vampire, who landed in a heap twenty feet away. Rolling the stunned vampire over Xander plunged his stake into the demon's heart.

Staking the vampire she was engaged with, Buffy turned and launched her stake at the last vampire, who was just beginning to rise from her kick. The first vampire burst into dust while the stake was in midflight. The other vampire burst into dust, taking her stake with him. Buffy turned and watched as Xander staked the downed vampire.

"Are you okay?"

"Sure. I don't think they were expecting us to attack first. How about you?"

"You made me get vampire dust on my arm!"

"Aw c'mon, I served those vampires up perfectly! It's not my fault you can't knock them out of the park like me."

Buffy reached out and grabbed Xander's belt, lifting him over her head. "You want to try that again?"

"Sure," said Xander with a smirk. "I have wet knaps." Buffy's eyes lit up and she dropped Xander.

"Ooh, gimme!"

"Say please!" At Buffy's snarl Xander surrendered his wet knaps.

"Okay, I am now vamp dust free," Buffy shot a glare at Xander, "and let's keep it that way."

***BTVS***

"Argh! I cannot believe you managed to cover me in vamp dust, again!"

"I _told_ you to move!"

"Well how was I to know that it was because you launched a vampire into the tree above me instead of the vampire that I was fighting!"

"You were the one that didn't move!"

"I didn't know what direction to move to!"

"**Enough!**" cried Giles, "I have bloody well had enough of listening to the two of you bicker over nothing. Can we _please_ return to the important points of the patrol?"

"Hey! Wardrobe damage is important!" Buffy wilted under Giles' glare. "Well it _should_ be."

"We're still into double digits on the vamp-count, Giles. There were twenty-two tonight. There were also a couple of demons running around."

"This is most troubling. There is something building, but I, I, I have not ascertained what it could be."

"Besides being extra-frisky none of the vamps talked," said Buffy.

"That's another thing, all the vamps seem to be more, feral, for lack of a better term."

"Feral?" asked Giles.

"All of them were in game-face and they were all growls and grunts. No witty banter at all."

"Hmm, that is true. It'd be nice to get some feed-back on my quips."

"I thought they were very good."

"Thanks, Xan."

"Are you certain they were not growling because of the quips? What if you have mistaken groans for growling?"

"Giles, are you saying my puns are bad?"

"Simply because _some_ of the vampires display gratitude after you have staked them does not imply that _all_ of your, _jokes_, are bad." Giles couldn't keep the smirk off his face.

Buffy stared at him. He was joking! That was much bet- Hey! He called the jokes bad! "I think Xander's a bad influence on you," said Buffy with a pout.

Giles froze for a moment then snatched his glasses off his face and began polishing them furiously. "Oh, bloody hell, it's true."

"Hey!" cried Xander.

"Well, as much as I'm enjoying this I should probably head home."

Giles smiled at his slayer. "Yes, Xander and I shall stay here for a while longer. There are some texts that I want to go over for clues to our recent upsurge in nocturnal activity."

Xander groaned at this pronouncement. Buffy quickly grabbed her things and made for the exit of the library. "Well, that's my queue to leave, bye!"

Giles smirked at Xander. "It's time to hit the books."

Xander stared at the library doors that were still swinging from Buffy's hasty retreat. "Joy."

"I think we should start with Deroulle's examination of vampire clan traits. See if there aren't other examples of vampire migratory patterns that we can use to explain our current situation."

"So, um, you know about the dance, right?"

"Yes, what does that have to do with vampire migratory patt- Oh, this has nothing to do with vampires, does it?"

"Uh, no, not as such."

Giles sighed in resignation, "Very well, what is it that you want to ask?"

"Should, should I, uh, shouldIaskbuffytothedance."

"Um, could you repeat that again and slower as well. I know this is difficult but try to say them as separate words instead of a single unintelligible mass."

Xander glared at Giles before visibly steeling himself. "Should I ask Buffy to the dance?" he asked, enunciating each word clearly but with a great deal of reluctance.

"Well, um, Xander, uh, I'm, I'm, I'm not sure i-i-if I can help you with, with, with this."

"Come on, Giles, I'm begging here!"

"The truth of the matter, my boy, is that you must follow your own instincts in this matter. I would urge you to, to, to be cautious and take it slow. However, you, you should do as you feel you must. Perhaps, perhaps if you wait a bit and try to see where you and Buffy stand before you force her to confront your feelings for her, you can, um, seize the most opportune moment."

"Oh, so I should be stealthy and pounce when the moment is right?"

"I, uh, I-I-I suppose that is an apt metaphor considering your abilities," conceded Giles with a hesitant nod. A firm look came over his brow before he spoke again, "However, Xander, I must insist that you inform both Buffy and Willow of your abilities. How Buffy could have ignored all the signs she must have seen on patrol I shall never understand. But that in no way avails you of the need to be open with your friends. As I said before, Xander, the longer you keep this secret the greater damage you risk committing to your friendship with both girls."

"I know, I know, it's just that, _how_ do I tell them? Hey, you know that time Kyle and his gang were possessed, went crazy and ate Flutie? Well I got possessed too!"

"I don't think sarcasm befits such an occasion, Xander."

"Sorry, it's just, I'm not sure what to say."

"Just tell them that there was a lion in the zoo that day and you've been _infused_ with the spirit of the lion."

"Infused?"

"It means to permeate or be filled-"

"Yes, I know that much Giles, but why use infused and not possessed?"

"I should think that it is a more apt description of your current situation, even if the connotations of the words did not make it obvious."

"Um, connotations of the words? Those are?"

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. It was at moments like these that he truly despised the American educational system. Glancing at Xander, whose head was bowed and his shoulders hunched in, he remembered that there were extenuating circumstances in this case. Xander looked up as if sensing Giles' gaze and shot him a timid but hopeful smile. It amazed Giles that a teenager who literally possessed the metaphysical heart of a lion could be so unsure of himself. Of course, he only needed to remember the circumstances that led to Xander living with him in order to understand the reasons behind his timidity.

However, Xander was making an effort to move beyond those experiences and Giles was determined to help him. "Infused carries the positive connotation of improving something, in this case yourself, while possession carries the negative connotation of lack of control, which is the opposite of what you have demonstrated."

"Ah, okay. Well, what about the dance?"

Giles sighed and once again forced himself to remember what it was like for him to be young. "Xander," he paused and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "I think that you should wait until after you have told her about the primal spirit and let her come to terms with that before you pursue a relationship with her."

"But the dance is in two weeks, what if-"

"I'm certain that neither Buffy nor Willow will need that much time to adjust to the information if you tell them soon," Giles shot Xander a pointed look, "like tomorrow morning. After that you can wait until a few days before the dance to ask Buffy."

"You think that'll work?"

"The SAS have a saying Xander. 'Qui audet adipiscitur'. Translated it means 'Who dares, wins'. A very succinct turn of phrase which simply means that you must try otherwise you will never succeed."

"So I can only try?" said a slumped Xander.

Giles clapped Xander on the shoulder. "Come, come Xander, you should believe in yourself firstly if you are ever to succeed." Giles picked up a tome and thrust it into Xander's arms, "Let's get to work."

Xander had just sat down and cracked open the tome when Buffy came charging back into the library followed closely by Angel.

"Giles!"

"Buffy? Angel? What's happened?"

"I ran across Angel when we were attacked by some ninja turtles and they stole his mom's rolex!"

Giles stared at Buffy for a second before turning and shooting Xander a pleading look. Xander raised his hands in front of him like a shield, "Don't look at me! I don't know why they would take Angel's mom's rolex!"

Angel coughed and looked very uncomfortable. "It was the _co_dex. The Pergamum Codex."

"Good lord! Do you know who has taken it?"

"No, some vampires and a pair of Vahrall demons attacked us, took the codex with them. They lost us in the darkness."

"That getting your ass kicked seems to be a theme with you," said Xander as he sneered at Angel. Angel turned to him and growled.

"I'd like to see you do better, _boy_."

"Just watch me, _corpse_."

"Guys! Quit it with the testosterone!" Buffy glared at both Angel and Xander until they subsided. She nodded in satisfaction then turned back to Giles, "How do we get the book back?"

"It would be imperative that we catch their trail as soon as possible," said Giles as he began to pace and mutter to himself.

"Um, did one of them cut you, Buffy?"

Buffy turned to Xander then looked down at a series of gashes on her upper arm. "Yeah, the big green thing cut me with its claws, why?"

Xander ignored her question and addressed Giles instead, "I can track them." Giles looked up at Xander, peering intently at him. Angel scoffed and Buffy raised a brow at Xander.

"And how can you do that when Angel couldn't?" she asked him.

Xander grimaced. It looked like Giles was going to get his wish after all. "I'm more familiar with your scent than _Deadboy_ over there, and my nose is better than his."

"Again, how? Angel's a vampire."

"I swear I'll tell you tomorrow. Willow should hear this too and I don't want to have to explain it more than once. Now come on, let's go get this book back." Xander marched over to the book cage, ignoring Buffy's inquisitive glare, and armed himself with a set of stakes, his knife, and his trusty sledgehammer. "So, where did _Deadboy_ get his ass kicked again?"

***BTVS***

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"For the last time yes, this is the building the trail goes to!"

"I wish you would tell me how you can be so sure."

"I'll tell you tomorrow, _I swear_. Now can we please be quiet before we let everything _in there_ know that we're _out here_!"

"Hmph!" Buffy huffed and crossed her arms.

"Uh, I think we're a little late for that," deadpanned Angel as he pointed at the group of vampires that emerged from the seemingly abandoned office building. From behind them emerged a grey skinned humanoid with leathery skin and two horns protruding from the back of his skull. He was dressed in a white ruffle shirt with a purple justacourps covered in elaborate gold trimming.

"I see you have found my current lair. I congratulate you, Slayer, Vampire, Human, on successfully tracking my minions. I assume you wish to reacquire this marvelous text I now hold in my possession?"

"Listen up you-"

"Yes, that is correct sir!" Buffy shot Xander a glare but stopped when Xander shot her a pointed look and stepped forward with his shoulders thrown back and his chin held high. "Now, if I may have the honor of knowing whom I am addressing."

The demon grinned at Xander, a very pleased look coming over its face at Xander's statement. "Of course, how discourteous of me, I am Guillaume Integralé Foiruisseau Vantaux Enferchant le Mains Gris. Now, to whom have I given my name?"

"I," Xander glanced at Buffy quickly before steeling himself, "am Alexander LaVelle Harris-"

"LaVelle?" mouthed Buffy to herself.

"- this is the souled vampire known as Angel, formerly known as Angelus Aurelius," Xander motioned to Angel before gesturing toward Buffy, "and this is Elizabeth Summers, the Vampire Slayer."

"Oh, marvelous, simply marvelous, I shall spare you and myself the horror of butchering my name and proceed directly to the entertaining portion of our evening. You wish to challenge me for possession of this book, yes?"

"Of course we do!" exclaimed an irritated Buffy. The demon wrinkled its nose at her outburst. Xander grasped Buffy's shoulder and shot her another pointed look.

"We do desire to challenge for possession of the book. As forfeit I offer myself to enter into your service." Buffy gasped and twisted to stare at Xander. What business did he have offering himself!

"Are you sure you want to do that?" muttered Angel.

"Shut it _deadboy_," growled Xander.

"I mean you no offense, good sir, for you have certainly proven yourself to be a delight that I was not expecting to enjoy this fair evening, but," the demon Guillaume paused and gazed appraisingly at Xander, "who are you that I should risk this book for your service?"

"I am a vampire hunter with over a hundred kills, I have slain an Octress Hound, an M'doka Fire Breather, a Sungoh, a Frangth, a Dessemer, and the last of the Brotherhood of Seven." Angel and Buffy where both openly staring at Xander while Guillaume's eyes grew wider as Xander's boast continued. "I bested and slew the Vampire Warriors Three in free combat," Guillaume reared back as if struck, "and destroyed the demon Moloch the Corrupter." At this point even Guillaume was staring agape at Xander.

It lasted only a moment before the demon grinned, "Yes, yes, you will make a fine servant. However I have known your kind before, sir. As a _chevalier_, you will not appoint a champion."

Xander stilled for a moment before reluctantly replying, "No I will not."

"A pity, then," the demon seemed truly remorseful. "I cannot accept your forfeit knowing that I may lose it during the challenge itself. What else can you offer me?"

Xander turned to Angel and Buffy, conveying with his desperate look that he was out of ideas. Angel stepped forward.

"I can offer you the location of the Faust Grimoire."

"You lie!" gasped Guillaume. Xander stared at Angel in shock. "**None** have found the Faust Grimoire!"

"I have, during my travels as the Scourge of Europe. I know where the book is. It's trapped, and you'll have to figure out how to get it. But I can tell you where it is. Do you have a pen and paper?"

Guillaume snapped his fingers. Several seconds later a nearly skeletal grey skinned demon in a butler's uniform stepped crisply toward Angel and handed him a piece of parchment and a fountain pen. Angel ducked behind Xander and wrote something down, folded the parchment and handed it to Xander, who tucked it into an inside jacket pocket.

"I give you my word that the book can be found on the address I have written down."

"Are you certain it is still there?" asked Guillaume.

"During my search for the Pergamum codex I checked on the Grimoire. It's still under the same protections. No one has breached its home."

"Excellent! I accept your forfeit! Now the three of you shall face my best warriors in group combat! Come!" Guillaume spun around and strode back into the building, the vampires following behind him. Buffy, Angel and Xander followed him in.

"What is going on Xander?"

"That's a _l'enfer noblisse_. They're demons who have adopted French court conduct as their culture. Or it was the other way around, I'm not sure. But they follow all these crazy rules of etiquette and their own code of honor."

"How do _you_ know this?"

"Because _Deadboy_, Giles made me study all of this ever since he took me in. I made the mistake of complaining when he tried to teach me etiquette so he made me learn all the demons that it would be useful against, like Mister Mans Gree here."

"So, what happens now?"

"We fight his champions, whoever they are and win. Once we win we'll get the codex back and Mans Gree will take his operation somewhere else and never return to Sunnydale."

"What? Why?" asked Buffy.

"His code of honor will recognize Sunnydale as our dominion if we win. He'll only ever be able to return if we grant him permission," replied Angel.

"And he knows that we won't ever grant it, at least, not without trying to lure him into a trap," added Xander. "Now, get ready you two, he could have almost anything as a champion."

The three finally stepped into what appeared to be an amphitheatre built into the office complex for very large meetings and presentations. Several vampires and other assorted demons were lounging insouciantly throughout the stadium style seating.

A divan was placed in the middle of the seating towards the front. There was no one sitting in the seating in front of it. The demon Guillaume strode directly for the divan and lay on it, gesturing his butler to the stage. The butler marched to the stage before he leapt onto it, turned and clapped twice.

"Ladies and Gentleman, we have some unscheduled entertainment tonight. We have here," the butler gestured towards Buffy, Angel and Xander who were quickly headed towards the stage, "three champions who have laid down a challenge!"

At this proclamation a slew of demons and vampires poured into the amphitheatre. By the time they settled in Buffy, Angel and Xander stood in the center of the stage.

"That's a lot of demons."

"This guy must be one of the older _l'enfer_," remarked Angel.

"Don't worry about them Buff," said Xander, "Their code of honor is a big thing to these guys. We beat his challenge we leave here _without_ a fight and_with_ the book."

"I hope you're right Xander."

"We have with us the slayer of the last of the Brotherhood of Seven! Defeater of the vampire warriors the Three! Vanquisher of Moloch the Corrupter! The hunter Alexander LaVelle Harris!" The thud of the top of the sledgehammer striking the stage rose above the murmurs from the crowd. Xander stood tall, hands fisted at his sides, while the crowd appraised him.

"To his left is the Scourge of Europe! The most vicious of the bloodline of Aurelius! The master vampire Angelus!" Hissing and snarls were aimed at Angel. These demons were better informed than most and knew that Angel had been cursed with a soul and was no longer the sadist of legend.

"To their right is the bane of the night! The chosen one! The Vampire Slayer Elizabeth Summers!" Outright jeers and boos met this pronouncement. Xander glanced at Buffy to see her looking hurt at her reception.

"Buff," began Xander, "these are the bad guys. They're gonna hate you. You should be happy! They hate you more than they do Angelus." Buffy frowned for a moment before Xander's words sunk in. She flashed a smile at Xander in thanks then turned a smirk at the crowd before turning up her nose at them.

The booing increased in intensity. Xander chuckled before lifting up his hammer and draping it across his shoulders. The butler raised his hands and the crowd slowly stilled.

"Meeting their challenge is the **Fist of Annihilation**!" The crowd began to cheer wildly. Buffy, Angel and Xander turned as a group of five demons emerged from the rear curtain. They were tall green skinned muscular demons with a Neanderthal face and numerous long tentacles growing from the back of their heads.

"What are those?" asked Buffy, who turned and looked at Xander.

"Uh, I don't know," said Xander. He turned and glared at Angel's snort.

"Don't know everything then, _boy_?" taunted Angel.

"Angel!" Buffy rebuked sharply, "now is **not** the time!"

"Sorry. They're Vahrall demons, pretty good fighters, come from a culture where bigger and meaner is better."

"Swell," muttered Xander.

"I present you with Juggernaut the Relentless," the butler motioned to the most muscular of the demons, who was wearing a pair of leather spaulders that connected to a spherical helm that covered the demon's head and neck. His thick, muscular torso was otherwise bared and covered in numerous scars.

"Gargantua the Unyielding," was the widest of the demons who waddled more then he walked. He wore full leather armor and carried a giant ball and chain.

"Colossus the Towering," strode forward leisurely, his long strides easily keeping up with his shorter, thicker brethren. His face remained impassive but Xander noticed his eyes constantly scanning the theatre. He appraised each of his opponents quickly but his eyes lingered on Xander's hammer and Xander himself.

"Leviathan the Mighty," was the most properly proportioned of the demons, being neither the broadest or the tallest, but not the shortest or skinniest either. He wore a smirk on his face and bared his teeth as he approached. He raised his hand and pointedly looked at Buffy while licking some blood from his fingers. Xander noticed Buffy tense and snarled at Leviathan.

"and the Invincible Titan!" The crowd went into a frenzy. Titan was the smallest of the vahrall demons. Compared to the hulks behind him he was practically puny. Xander turned and eyed the crowd and then observed Titan, who was calmy staring at him. Titan barked a few words and the others arrayed themselves. Titan stepped directly in front of Buffy. Leviathan and Colossus faced off against Angel. That left Juggernaut and Gargantua staring hungrily at Xander.

Xander scooted closer to Buffy. "Is it just me or did they just give themselves away a bit?"

Buffy turned a confused scowl to Xander. "What do you mean?"

"He's right," said Angel, "for once," he added with a mutter. He quickly continued before either Buffy or Xander could reply, "They arranged themselves to fight us. Xander's facing the most physically strong pair, I get tallest two and you get their leader."

"Will you be okay, Xander?"

"I'll be fine. These guys don't know what I can do. Neither do you but, just," Xander grimaced for a moment, "trust me, ok?" Buffy nodded. "In any case, all my pop culture knowledge is going to come in handy right now."

"How's that?"

"Look, they're a five man team and that means they follow a pattern. We have the leader, who'll be their best and most powerful fighter," Xander pointed at Angel, "you get the second in command and the smart guy, I get the strong man and the big man. Usually there's a chick in this group but instead of just having the one big strong guy they decided to split it."

"I can't believe I'm saying this _again_ but yeah, that's how I see it."

"Okay, what does that mean?"

"It means I'll probably finish my fight first, Angel should watch out for the tall guy to pull out clever tricks and you need to be really careful," replied Xander.

"Why?"

"Because they're Vahrall demons and the biggest and strongest one should be the leader," replied Angel. "This guy is neither but you saw the way the others jumped at his command. He'll be _very_ dangerous Buffy. Don't underestimate him."

"And now I find myself agreeing with _Deadboy_. Plus anyone who calls themselves invincible and gets taken seriously has earned that title."

"As an added treat, and to ensure that our combatants do not flee, tonight's arena will be," the butler paused as he stepped onto the very edge of the arena before flourishing a hand into the air, "**the Cage!"** While Angel and Buffy turned to look at the butler, long years of watching wrestling made Xander look up just as a huge fence fell around them, the thick pillars piercing the floor and enclosing them on the stage. The fence was close to twenty feet tall with tightly wound mesh that prevented a handhold but allowed spectators full view of the action.

"Now, let the challenge begin!"

"Don't get singled out!" yelled Xander as he leapt to the side, moving out of the way of the large ball that Gargantua launched at him. The ball landed behind him with a thud that reverberated throughout the stage. Thinking about smashing the chain linking the ball, Xander raised his hammer but stopped when he perceived Juggernaut's charge out of the corner of his eye. He leapt back to avoid getting run over and cursed internally as the action pushed him further away from Buffy and Angel.

Buffy was almost immediately beset by a storm of fist and feet from Titan. She was hard pressed to block and dodge all of his attacks. Buffy grimaced as a sidekick launched her off her feet despite her block. Titan seemed to be just as strong and fast as she was! Rolling to her feet she saw that Titan was intending to lead her away from her friends. Bursting into her top speed she was shocked when Titan easily kept in front of her. It was only her slayer reflexes that allowed her to bend backwards and avoid the roundhouse kick intended to remove her head.

Angel turned to help Buffy but had to turn back and engage Leviathan, who was only a few steps behind Titan. Angel was having an easier time of it as his opponent was slightly slower than he was, letting him dodge all his attacks. He was subtly maneuvering himself to aid Buffy when a fist appeared from nowhere. His speed allowed him to block it in time, but the brief halt in his movements gave Leviathan time to connect with a haymaker punch that lifted Angel off his feet and pushed him further away from Buffy. Rolling to his feet he saw that Colossus, instead of attacking head-on like any of the others, was moving around to Angel's blind spot. Colossus also stayed a distance back, obviously trying to make the most of his greater reach. Leviathan, however, pursued Angel doggedly, never letting up in his attacks.

Xander swung his hammer like a bat. The hammer skidded off of Juggernauts rounded helmet leaving Xander open to Juggernaut's clothesline. Juggernaut's fist caught Xander in the solar plexus and sent him flying a dozen feet away. Involuntarily losing his hold on his hammer, Xander crashed into the side of the cage and fell to the floor with a thud. Xander forced his wincing eyes open and spotted the metal ball flying towards him again. Scrambling to his hands and knees Xander leapt aside at the last moment as the ball crashed down where he was previously laying. Xander leapt to his feet only to be caught by Juggernaut again, who drilled him into one of the thick pillars of the cage. Xander cried out in pain as his body was compressed between the immobile pillar and the unyielding Vahrall demon.

Buffy performed a cartwheel around Titan's sweeping kick. She spun again and shot out a leg, sweeping Titan off his feet. Titan landed high on his back but flipped himself back onto his feet. He kicked out as soon as he landed and caught Buffy in the face. She was sent sprawling from the impact but rolled with the motion and rose to her feet. She immediately charged and hit Titan with a jab and a hook. He ducked under her follow-up roundhouse kick, spinning with the momentum from her hook, and came up under her guard with an uppercut that snapped her head back. She grimaced and began trading blows furiously, both their hands becoming a blur of motion. In between their flurry of blocking and countering a few hits landed sparingly: a jab, an elbow, a back fist, a straight, a rib shot, a gut punch, a knee, a kick. A cut appeared on Buffy's left cheek as a trickle of blood came out of Titan's nose. Titan suddenly stomped on Buffy's foot, grabbed her by the back of the head, spun her around him and then threw her face first into the cage. She pushed herself off the fence with a wince and a grunt only to be driven forward again by Titan's thrusting sidekick.

Angel grimaced as he took another of Colossus' long straights in the side. He had been forced to maneuver closer to the edge of the cage in order to keep Colossus from blindsiding him. As it was, he was forced to engage directly with Leviathan. Although his speed kept him from being overwhelmed, his lack of options for maneuvering gave Leviathan enough time to find some openings in his defense. Already his ribs were restricting his movement. He cursed his slower healing rate as he took another of Leviathan's hooks to his already bruised shoulders. His pair of loping counter punches did not affect Leviathan as much as he hoped. He dashed to the side but had to stop and dash back when Colossus' foot shot out to stop his escape. He grimaced when he felt the fence behind him and realized that he was now in the furthest corner from Buffy.

Gritting his teeth Xander struggled to his feet. Juggernaut was standing in front of him. Xander raised his arms to ready a block when he noticed Juggernaut's sudden movement. On further inspection, Xander realized that Juggernaut was not twitching in preparation of an attack, but because he was laughing at Xander! Xander growled and threw a pair of haymakers at Juggernaut's ribs. Juggernaut seemed totally unaffected by his punches. Xander hopped forward and swung his leg up between Juggernaut's legs. His shin struck Juggernaut in the crotch with a clang!

"Argh!" yelled Xander as he grabbed his shin. Since when did demons wear cups?

Xander did not have any time to contemplate this new situation as juggernaut picked him up and threw him. He barely had time to spin so he could face his landing when Gargantua's metal ball crashed into him, sending him flying back toward the wall.

Buffy turned and caught Titan's second kick. Holding onto his ankle she stretched and swept him off his feet. She placed her foot on the outside of his leg, intent on breaking it. Titan rolled with her, shifting his leg so that her foot only bent his leg instead of breaking it. He rolled forward to try and get back to his feet, but Buffy's foot hit him in mid-roll and sent him careening forward. Buffy rushed forward to try and catch him off-guard again, but Titan was already up and ready to meet her charge. She stopped when she heard Xander cry out in pain. She watched stunned as he was lifted up and tossed onto the oncoming metal ball.

"Xand-ah!" her cry was interrupted by Titan taking advantage of her moment of distraction. He pummeled her about the head and stomach, before a kick to the gut threw her back onto her hands and knees. She grimaced as she wiped some blood from her lip and charged back at Titan.

Angel dodged as best he could while trapped in the corner by the two demons. His shoulders were throbbing from the blows he was forced to block from Leviathan. He had little room to counterattack and Colossus kept poking him enough to keep him in the corner and punished any opening he left.

He heard Buffy cry out but only spared a quick glance to see Xander collide in mid-air. He hoped whatever powers the _boy_ had developed allowed him to survive such an attack. If Xander was already down then he and Buffy were in an even more precarious position. Angel grimaced as another lancing punch from Colossus connected with his already battered ribs. He **had** to get out of this corner! Every attempt he had made was cut off by Colossus. He couldn't go left, right, forward, or back!

Angel stiffened as an idea occurred to him. Automatically shifting into his demonic visage from tapping deeper into his powers, he lunged forward and kicked Leviathan in the stomach. The burst of speed was unexpected to Leviathan, who doubled over reflexively, but not to Colossus, who threw another punch at him. Colossus, however, was not expecting Angel to run into the corner, causing him to miss. He was also not expecting Angel to quickly scramble off the cage and leap off, passing over Leviathan as he did so. He landed in a deep crouch and pushed off into a run. His progress was halted before it began, however. Looking back he saw that Colossus had thrown himself onto the ground to extend his reach and was grasping onto his ankle.

Letting go before Angel could kick at his hand, Colossus scrambled to his feet as Leviathan engaged Angel once more.

Xander pushed himself to his feet, holding onto the fence to keep him upright. He felt a brief sense of déjà vu as Juggernaut stalked towards him. He heard a metallic clank as he rested against the fence. Stepping forward, he thrust another haymaker for Juggernauts stomach while reaching behind his back with his right hand. The demon grinned and took the blow. His right hand then swept out in another haymaker. Juggernaut roared in pain and stepped back, clutching at his stomach. Xander stepped behind the retreating demon and brought his knife down Juggernauts right flank, hoping to catch any vital organ he could.

He rushed over to pick up his fallen sledgehammer, shifting his knife over to his left hand as he did so. He turned and headed straight for Gargantua just as the demon let his metal ball fly. Xander spun, swinging his hammer at the same time. His sledgehammer knocked the metal ball off course and the attack slowed his spin enough that he was not deviated from his straightforward charge.

The chain attached to the ball struck Juggernaut around his knees, causing the ball to whip around his legs and knock him to the ground.

Gargantua frantically struggled to retrieve his metal ball as Xander closed in, but Juggernaut was now fully tangled in the chain and focused solely on keeping his internal organs internal. Gargantua's raised forearm kept Xander's hammer from smashing his head in. The stunning force of the blow, however, kept him from defending himself as Xander buried his knife in the demon's forehead with a roar.

Titan cursed as Buffy managed to escape his flying stomp by rolling away at the last second. A sudden roared caused both him and Buffy to look as Gargantua slowly toppled backwards. They saw Xander turn and charge at Leviathan, who was busy trading blows with a weary Angel. Titan's eyes widened as he spotted Juggernaut on the ground in pool of blood, clutching weakly at a gaping wound that ran the width of his stomach.

Suddenly his face was violently turned away from the scene. A furious but triumphant slayer the last thing he saw.

Buffy let Titan fall to the ground and moved to attack the nearest demon.

Angel had heard the roar and the crack, as well as the dull thud of two bodies striking the ground. He fervently hoped Buffy and the boy were alright but couldn't spare a glance in their direction as he tried to keep the two demons from overwhelming him. Colossus spun away from him suddenly. He couldn't help himself from turning to look when he spied Buffy pursuing Colossus. Turning back he saw that Leviathan was also distracted.

Instinctively Angel lunged, burying his fangs into Leviathan's throat. The blood tasted foul, but he bit down harder and then pushed himself off Leviathan, taking part of the demon's trachea with him. He turned and spat it out. His eyes shot up as Xander ran past him, toward Colossus and Buffy.

"Buffy, batter up!" he yelled. Buffy did not acknowledge him but stepped in close to Colossus, grabbing him around the waist. Colossus immediately reached for her face and eyes but she was already spinning him around and let him fly at Xander. Xander swung for the fences with his sledgehammer. The head of the hammer struck Colossus in the lower back and he bent around the sledgehammer in a very unnatural way before being flung to the side from the force of Xander's follow through.

Xander swung the sledgehammer up onto his shoulder, completely unfazed by the gore on the head of his hammer. He walked over to Gargantua, stepped on its face, and wrenched his knife from the demon's skull. Angel had withdrawn a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the rest of Leviathan's blood from his face.

Several vampires came forward and attached hooks lowered from the ceiling to specific sections of the cage.

Xander wiped the blade off on his pants before sheathing it behind him. He flicked his hammer to get the worst of the blood off of it as he walked back to Angel and Buffy. "Are you alright?" he asked Buffy.

"I'm fine," she answered absently before snapping her full attention on him, "but what about you? I saw how that demon threw you!"

"I'll be okay after some rest Buffy." Xander sneered in Angel's direction, "Any chance the _corpse_got hurt?"

"Less than _you._ Didn't know you had aspirations to Peter Pan, _boy_."

"Better than being unwilling support, _tinkerbell_."

"I'm not the one being thrown like a doll, _Raggedy Andy_."

"**Stop it!**" yelled Buffy, completely exasperated with both of them. "Look, we won, what happens now?"

The cage began rising back into the ceiling of the stage. The sound of clapping drew their attention to where the demon Guillaume was making his way toward them. "Remarkable, truly remarkable. A splendid match! Your skills do you credit Vampire, Slayer. You, however," Guillaume said as he narrowed his gaze at Xander, "are not a mere human."

"I never said I was, you just assumed," replied Xander with a level gaze.

Guillaume grinned, "So very true. You have won the challenge and won your prize. However, you are now _marked,_ Hunter. Be assured that the rest of the peerage will** not** underestimate you."

Guillaume snapped his fingers and a vampire scurried over to the group, handing Angel the Pergamum Codex. The butler moved to stand next to Guillaume. "Show tonight's champions out," snapped Guillaume before turning back to Xander, "perchance our paths may cross again, Hunter, should you journey beyond the bounds of the hellmouth." He turned and walked off the stage. The Butler faced the group and motioned for them to follow him.

***BTVS***

"Are you alright?" asked Giles as they walked into the library.

"Sure thing G-Man, we just ran into a _l'enfer noblisse_."

"W-what was one of them doing here?"

"I think they followed me from Europe," answered Angel, "the old castle I had found the codex in before was occupied by a group of vampires. I had to dispatch some of them in order to get the book. Someone must have spotted me."

"Yes, the rumor mill among the _l'enfer_ _noblisse_ is rather legendary. They must have been aware of your current circumstances or deduced that you would bring the codex to where the current slayer resided."

"That explains the creepy demon noble thingy but that still doesn't explain how you," Buffy firmly jabbed a finger into Xander's chest, "where able to track them by scent or survived being hit with a wrecking ball!"

"A what!"

"It was a ball and chain Giles, just supersized for a Vahrall demon. And I'll be healed up by tomorrow."

"Stopped dodging the question like a person, that, that dodges questions!"

"Buffy, I swear I'll explain everything tomorrow morning when Willow's here too."

Buffy fumed for a moment, before stiffly nodding her head. She then turned to Angel and smiled at him. "Walk me home?" she asked him coyly.

Angel smiled at her. Resting his hand on the small of her back as she walked passed him, Angel smirked at Xander. Xander's lips curled into a snarl as he glared at the walking corpse. Giles distracted him by clapping him on the shoulder.

"Come Xander, you have school tomorrow and I need to set out to translate this text. And you'll need to explain your condition tomorrow."

"Alright, Giles, let me get my stuff," grumbled Xander.

"There's a good lad."

***BTVS***

"You what!" asked a frightened Buffy and Willow.

"I, uh, was, uh, come on how did Giles put it," thought Xander furiously, "um, imbued! Yeah, that's it, _imbued_ with the primal spirit of a lion!"

"So you're possessed? Like Kyle's gang?" asked Willow.

"Uh, no, not like them. They couldn't control the primal spirit. I can."

"Really, not feeling like eating pork anytime soon?"

"Not unless you cook it thoroughly." Xander then cast a smirk at Buffy, "Well, maybe not if _you_ cooked it."

"Hey!"

"So you haven't been changed?" asked Willow hopefully.

"Uh," temporized Xander, "there are _some_ changes." Buffy and Willow stared at Xander expectantly as he ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "I, uh, like meat more than I used to. I have to have it almost every meal now, otherwise I don't feel full. My senses are enhanced now. I can track people by scent, like I showed Buffy last night. Night vision is also _way_ better. Hearing is really good too, but touch seems to be the same. I haven't grown whiskers so I don't know if I'll be able to use those cat tricks. Oh, I also really like sunbeams. I keep taking cat naps in them if I'm not careful. Beyond that I'm **much** stronger and faster than before. Like, slayer level speed and strength."

Buffy placed her hands on her hips and looked at Xander skeptically. "Oh, really?"

Xander smiled at Buffy, "You _are_ faster." He waited a beat while Buffy smirked, "but _I'm_ stronger."

Buffy scoffed incredulously, "No way that's true."

"Wanna wrassle?" asked Xander as he held his arm up.

"You're on!"

"Uh, guys are you sure this is a good idea?"

"He said he was stronger than me! I'm the Slayer! I can't let him just say that!"

"Um, _children_, please, let's not get into this right now, school is starting in-"

"Butt out Giles," yelled Buffy and Xander.

Giles held his hands up in surrender, "All right, at least I tried."

Buffy and Xander sat across from each other on one corner of the main study table. Setting their elbows on the table top, they clasped hands.

"Okay, on three!"

"How do I know you won't cheat?"

"I do not cheat!"

Xander coughed "Monopoly" theatrically.

"Fine! Giles! You referee!"

"Ja wohl, mein fuehrer," muttered Giles under his breath.

"What was that?" snapped Buffy sharply at her watcher. Not for the first time, Giles cursed his Slayer's enhanced hearing.

"Let's get started then," said Giles as he placed his hands on top of the two teenagers' hands. "Ready," he paused for a long moment. "Go!" yelled Giles as he let go of their hands and stepped back.

There was no motion for several seconds but it was clear from their faces and the bulging muscles on their arms that Xander and Buffy where straining mightily against each other. Giles, having seen Buffy bend steel with her bare hands, was amazed at the level of strength that Xander possessed.

Xander caught Buffy's eye over their clenched fists. He smiled at her then winked. Buffy frowned at him in confusion for a moment before she felt a surge of force from Xander's hand.

There was a loud crashing sound and then all was still. Xander was clearly stronger than Buffy. This fact was undeniable. However, what was also painfully clear was that both were stronger than the table on which they had chosen to hold their contest. No one spoke as Xander and Buffy picked themselves off the floor, pulling splinters out of their clothing.

Xander stood, looked at Giles gob smacked expression and then back down to the broken table. "Oops."

***BTVS***

"So you're going to be training together?"

"Yep, that's Giles' plan. He says I'll be a much more able sparring partner than he is, considering I can actually keep up with the Buffinator."

"Hmph, we'll see about that."

"Aw, come on Buffy, don't be mad," said Xander as he slipped his hands around Buffy's waist from behind the petulant slayer. Buffy halfheartedly tried to squirm away from him for a moment. "It was just one match."

"You kept beating me in slaying too!"

"It was just that one time! You've won all the other kills of the night!"

"But _I'm_ the slayer!"

"Of course you are, Buffy," said Xander into her ear as she squirmed in his grip. Xander noted that, strangely, she wasn't really making a concerted effort to break free of his grasp. "And now I'm the Hunter, the Slayer's partner."

Buffy smirked. "Sidekick."

Xander let her go as he staggered back and clutched at his chest. "Sidekick!" asked a horrified Xander. "No way! I **just** proved I'm stronger. We're definitely a team."

"Hey, I get top billing!"

"Not last night you didn't!"

"They saved the best for last! And you are so _totally_ my sidekick."

"That would mean I'm training to take your place someday. No way," Xander shook his head, "I'm going the Nightwing route, making my own name."

"Nightwing?"

"You don't know **Nightwing**?"

Buffy stared at Xander's shocked expression for a moment before turning a pleading look to Willow.

"Nightwing was the first Robin, until he grew up and became his own superhero and not Batman's sidekick."

"Oh!" exclaimed Buffy in understanding. "So, wait, there's no Robin?"

Xander petulantly refused to answer Buffy's question. She didn't know who Nightwing was and she wanted to argue sidekick-hero dynamics? Heresy!

"Well there was another boy who became Robin but the Joker killed him. That Robin was kind of a jerk. There's a new Robin now who isn't Dick Grayson."

"So," Buffy drew out the word while she collected her thoughts, "Robin, the first one, is his own hero now?"

Willow nodded. "He goes by the codename Nightwing. He teams up with Batman sometimes but it's definitely a hero team-up, not a sidekick thing."

Buffy turned to Xander. "So you want to be Nightwing?"

Xander nodded firmly. Buffy smirked.

"Too bad, you're still my sidekick!"

"Gah!"

***BTVS***

"Okay, okay, you can do this, you can do this," muttered Xander to himself as he paced back and forth in the school's quad. It had been a week since the battle for the Pergamum Codex and Xander was about ready to pull his hair out. He had still not been able to pluck up the courage to ask Buffy to the dance. Of course, Buffy had been kicking his ass almost every night during their training sessions, really putting a damper on any nascent romantic atmospheres.

"Damn slayer alpha instincts," grumbled Xander. He'd proven to Buffy that first training session that she couldn't treat him like a sideki- uh, rather she couldn't take it easy on him. Unfortunately the fact that he could keep up and sometimes even get the better of her seemed to be a mortal insult to the Slayer spirit, hence the week of ass-kickings. Then there was that strange earthquake last night while they were out patrolling. What was that all about?

Xander continued to walk back and forth, attempting to psyche himself up for what he was about to do. This could change everything. Everything! What if, what if… "Okay, gotta stop that! Just do it, just do it, that's what Giles says, just like Nike, just do it…"

"Hey Xander."

"Gah!" Xander jumped and spun toward the sound of the voice. Buffy stood there, smirking at him.

"Sorry to interrupt."

"Har har," grumbled Xander.

"So have you seen Giles?"

"Yeah, uh, he actually stayed in his office working last night. He does that. He's sleeping right now. I left him a change of clothes and his travel kit with him."

"Aw, that's sweet."

Xander blushed at her comment and motioned to one of the benches dotting the school's quad. "Come on, there's something I want to tell you."

"Well?" asked Buffy curiously.

"Um," Xander searched for the right words. Unfortunately he couldn't find them. "You know, Buffy, uh, Spring Fling is a," Xander paused again, "time for students to gather and," Xander stopped and realized he was rambling. "Oh, God!" Taking a deep breath he turned to Buffy and decided to just go for it. "Buffy, I want you to go to the dance with me. You and me," said Xander, "on a date."

Buffy was visibly stunned by Xander's pronouncement. "I-I don't know what to say."

"Well, you're not laughing," Xander chuckled nervously, "So that's a good start. Buffy, I like you. A lot. And I know we're friends, and we've had experiences," Xander grimaced at his wording, before plowing onward, "We've fought some blood-sucking fiends, some demons and that's all been a good time. But I want more. I want to dance with you."

"Xander, you're one of my best friends," temporized Buffy, "You and Willow-"

"Well, Willow's not looking to date you," interrupted Xander with a laugh, "Or if she is, she's playing it pretty close to the chest."

"I don't want to spoil the friendship that we have."

"Well, I don't want to spoil it either. But that's not the point, is it? You either feel a thing or you don't."

Buffy looked away from Xander for a moment. She did feel something for Xander. There were times when he was her goofy best male friend. There were other times, however, when he made her stomach flutter like Angel. But she remembered her shy red headed friend and her confessions. It wouldn't be fair to her if she didn't give her a chance first. And then there was Angel. Buffy bit her lip and wrung her hands before coming to a snap decision. She turned back to Xander, "I-I-I don't. Xander, I'm, I'm sorry. I-I just don't think of you that way," she replied morosely.

"Well, try. I'll wait." Xander tried his hardest to plaster a smile on his face. However, weeks of living with someone that actually wanted him there and experiencing great success in living up to his oath to Jessie had made hiding behind a mask unnecessary. He was out of practice putting on a happy face when he wasn't feeling happy and his formerly well-practiced false smile quivered wildly.

"Xander-"

"Nah. Forget it," said Xander as he stood. "I'm not _him_. I mean, I guess a guy's gotta be _undead_ to make time with you," said Xander viciously.

Buffy reared back as if struck, "That's really harsh," she replied in a hurt voice.

Xander sighed and swallowed his anger. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't handle rejection well." Xander smiled bitterly. "Funny! Considering all the practice I've had, huh?"

The look on his face made Buffy feel sick. Maybe she didn't make the right choice? But she didn't even know _what _she felt, "Xander, I'm sorry, I don't know-"

"You know what? Let's just not," said Xander as he turned away from Buffy. He made his way around the corner of the school before breaking out into a run, not wanting to be anywhere near Buffy as the tears began to fall from his eyes.

Buffy wrung her hands. She had been tempted to say yes. Xander was very tempting. He was funny, and caring, and gentle. He could be commanding and tough and strong. With his new abilities he was actually a really good partner. Her destiny had always weighed on her but Xander always made it bearable.

Changing her mind again she burst into movement turning the same corner as Xander but she found no trace of him. She sighed and headed to the nearest restroom for some time and space to think.

***BTVS***

"She what!" yelled Xander. He had finally come to the library after spending a few hours blowing off steam by going for a run around the woods surrounding Sunnydale. At sixty miles per hour. Unfortunately he ran into a group of vampires during his run. Fortunately he ran _into_ a group of vampires during his run. Apparently vampire physiology was not designed to withstand an over two hundred pound weight running into them at over sixty miles per hour.

He was still trying to get the taste of vampire dust out of his mouth when he arrived. He promptly forgot about all of that when he and Willow found Ms. Calendar tending to an injured Giles in the library and Giles explained the prophecy and Buffy marching off to her doom.

"I told you there was something going on with her," said Willow.

"And she knew about this prophecy of yours?" at Giles' nod Xander threw his arms out and then clenched his hair in frustration, "Aw, man, what do we do?"

"We stay calm, first thing."

Xander stilled his frustrated fidgeting. He slowly turned to face the man he had come to accept as a mentor, a friend, and even a father figure. "Calm?" he asked Giles, an odd tone to his tightly controlled voice.

Willow nodded. "I think he's right."

Xander stared from Willow to Giles incredulously before furiously shaking his head. "I'm sorry, calm may work for Locutus of the Borg here," he threw a hand out in Giles' direction, "but I'm freaked out, and I intend to stay that way."

"Xander-" began Willow.

"How could you let her go?" Xander asked Giles angrily.

"As the soon to be purple area of my jaw will attest, I did **not **_**let**_ her go!"

"Well, how can we help her?" asked Willow, hoping to keep the two men in her life from arguing with each other.

"Uh, I'm sorry to bring this up," said Ms. Calendar, "but we also have an apocalypse to worry about?"

"Do you mind?" snapped Xander.

"How come she's in the club?" asked an irritated Willow.

"Hey!" yelled an irate Ms. Calendar, "Once the Master gets free, the Hellmouth opens, the demons come to party, and **everybody** dies!"

Xander stared coldly at the rest of the group. "Uh-uh, I don't care. I'm sorry, I don't. Right now I have to help Buffy."

Giles tried to convince Xander that they needed to work together. "You've already followed her scent! It just ends in the front of the school! We don't even know where she's gone."

"Sure we do. She's gone to face the Master. I'll just go after him."

"We don't even know where he is!" cried Giles desperately.

"No. But I can find out," stated Xander firmly as he picked up his sledgehammer and knife from the book cage and marched out.


	6. Prophecy

**Chapter 6 – Prophecy**

Who the hell would be pounding on the door right now? Couldn't he mourn in pea- "Oh," he said with a sneer after he whipped open the door, "Look who's here."

"Mind if I come in?" asked Xander sarcastically as he barged into Angel's apartment. Angel grimaced and closed the door.

"Make yourself at home."

Xander stood his hammer on its head with a wooden thud and looked around the room for a moment. Angel had obviously been sitting in the easy chair, an open book lay on the stand next to it. He eyed Angel for a moment. The vampire was wearing a wife-beater and no shoes. He obviously had no intention of going anywhere. "She's gone."

Angel frowned at Xander for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Buffy," snapped Xander as his irritation rose, "she's gone to fight the Master."

"He'll kill her," replied Angel morosely.

"Rumor has it. Only we're not going to let it happen."

"Well, what do _you_ propose we do about it?"

Xander bit back his first response and took a deep breath. He grimaced as the stench of blood and death assaulted his senses. "Look, I know you can find this Master guy. He's underground, right? Take me to him."

"You're way out of your league, _boy_. The Master'll kill you before you can even breathe. _If_ you're lucky."

Xander stared at his nemesis for a moment, his fury growing in his belly like something hot and alive. _This_ was Buffy's choice? "How can I say this clearly?"

Angel had no time to react as Xander grabbed him around the shoulders and flung him into his apartment wall. Angel slammed into a painting, shattering the glass in the frame, and fell to the floor with a thud, the painting following soon after. He only had a moment to throw the painting off of himself and rise to a knee before Xander grabbed him and flung him into the opposite wall, crashing through one of his book cases on the way there.

Angel swung wildly as he rose to his knees. He felt more than saw Xander batter his punch away before flinging him into a corner of his room. **God** but the boy was fast! He felt a sharp pressure on his chest and stilled as he saw Xander standing over him holding a stake against his heart.

"I **don't** like you. At the end of the day, I pretty much think you're a _vampire_." Xander's lip curled into a sneer as his arm trembled.

Angel remained perfectly still as he stared into the eyes of death.

Xander's sneer slowly receded until he was looking at Angel with an emotionless expression. The stake slowly rose from Angel's chest. "But Buffy's got this big old yen for _you_. She thinks _you're_ a _real_ person." Angel saw the tendons on the boy's jaw flex as Xander gritted his teeth. "And right now I need you to prove her **right**."

Angel stared at Xander in sudden realization. "You're in love with her," he blurted out.

Xander stared at Angel as if he was being purposefully dense. "Aren't you?"

Angel looked away in shame. "What do you need me for?"

"I tracked her scent to just outside of the school. It just ends there. Giles and Ms. Calendar tried a scrying spell but it was as if she didn't exist. Giles thinks the Anointed One has some kind of mojo that keeps anyone from finding him and by extension Buffy. If I could just track her I would've done that instead of coming to _you_." Xander walked over to Angel's refrigerator as he spoke. He pulled the fridge door open to reveal several hospital packets of blood. He grabbed several of them before tossing them at the still prone Angel. "You know where the Master's lair is?"

Angel picked up the blood bags on his chest and looked over at Xander. He nodded.

"You're taking me to him. Now eat up, I want you at full strength."

***BTVS***

Willow wrung her hands. This was getting to be too much. Everything seemed to be changing so fast! Well, that wasn't really true. She just seemed to be in denial, if she was honest with herself. After Jesse's death Willow had come to accept in all the things that go bump in the night but they seemed to stay confined to the night. They never seemed to be a part of her regular daily life. And everything seemed easier with Buffy around! She was the slayer! So far there hadn't been anything she couldn't handle!

Except, if she _really_ thought about it, there was lots of times that Buffy needed help. Giles had saved her life against Amy's mom and Xander had saved her life several times. Perhaps she had just gotten complacent about the danger they were all really in? Willow sighed as she considered that she had been ignoring the extreme dangers they had all been put in since Buffy's arrival. She didn't blame Buffy, it was just a coincidence. They'd lived on the hellmouth all their lives and she and Xander…

Willow bit her lip in consternation. Xander was really the biggest source of her confusion. He'd changed ever since Jesse's death. Now that she knew the truth she realized that Xander had done a pretty good job of hiding his changes behind his old goofy mask. It made her wonder how long he would have hidden behind that mask, if it weren't for the primal possession.

And how was she supposed to wrap her mind around that! He'd lied to her! After what she saw what his nightmare was during that insane day with Billy she'd asked him why he had that nightmare. He'd said since he was in the same place when the others were possessed he was afraid of what would have happened if he'd been possessed as well. But he _was_ possessed he just _hadn't_ told her!

And he had _really_ started to change after that day. He'd been more affectionate and confident and outgoing. And Willow had been thrilled at the change! Except that all those little changes had applied to his behavior to Buffy as well. She'd been hoping that he was finally beginning to see her as a woman, but Buffy still held his eye.

At least she'd turned him down for the dance. Although, it made her feel bad that Xander was shot down once again. Maybe she should tell Buffy that it was okay- No, it wasn't okay. There had to be some way to make Xander love her!

Willow sighed. Her life had turned into some strange horror show slash soap opera. Especially today! First she found Kevin and the others torn apart in the A/V room then she found out Xander asked Buffy out _then_ she found out Buffy may have marched to her death and Xander went running after her!

At least they'd managed to convince him to wait while Giles and Ms. Calendar tried their spell. **That** was _really_ neat! Maybe she could learn magic and figure out how to get Xander to notice her. Or maybe she should just shove her tits in his face.

"Uh, Willow? Willow?"

"Huh?" answered Willow with a blush.

"Could you look through the local histories, please? Check for any common denominators, uh, locations of incidences and such."

"Right, okay." Maybe she was thinking about this too hard. She wasn't that desperate. Willow bit her lip. Well, maybe not yet. First they'd have to save the world then she could figure out Xander.

***BTVS***

"Are you **sure** we're going the right way?"

"**Yes**, can't your _nose_ tell?"

"We're in a vampire infested sewer. _Everything_ smells like shit and blood and death! I can't tell where anything is! How can you?"

"The Master was Darla's sire."

"And…"

"She was my sire."

"Ah, gotcha. You can sense where he is through that bond."

Angel turned a briefly startled glance at Xander. "Guess you have been studying," muttered Angel.

"Yes, I have."

Angel hadn't been expecting the boy to actually hear that. "What happened to you?"

Xander glanced at Angel only to see open curiosity on his face. "I was infused with the primal spirit of a Lion."

"Huh. That explains a lot."

"Sure it does. Now, this isn't going to turn into a buddy flick so let's pick up the pace."

"So sure _you'll_ be able to keep up?"

"_Watch me_," bit out Xander. Angel burst into motion, quickly blurring into a moving black mass. He looked to his left and nearly tripped at the sight of Xander keeping pace with his vampiric speed. He snorted as he realized the boy hadn't been lying.

Xander managed to follow him through several corridors. Turning around the latest corner they stopped as they spotted a group of three vampires heading toward them.

"I got left," said Xander.

"Huh?" was Angel's succinct reply.

"Left!" yelled Xander as he charged forward and bowled over to two vampires on the left. Angel followed behind him, punched the vampire on the right and knocked him over with a kick. A quick jab on the ground followed by a stake and the vampire was dust. A resounding thud made him spin around in time to see one of the vampires burst into dust, releasing Xander's hammer from its chest cavity. Xander picked up his hammer and swung into the hip of a rising vampire. There was a terrible crack and the vampire screamed as he crumpled to the ground trying to cradle his broken hip. Xander let his hammer fall to the ground. He walked over to the fallen vampire, pulled the vampires hand away from its injury and sat on his broken hip. The vampire screamed as it tried to pull its hand out of Xander's grip.

"Tell me where to find the Master," ordered Xander coldly.

"Screw you meat bag!"

Xander pulled out his knife and smoothly cut away the vampire's two smallest fingers on the hand he was holding. Angel and the vampire watched them fall and burst into dust. Xander never removed his eyes from the vampire's face.

"Tell me where to find the Master," repeated Xander in the same cold tone. The vampire eyed him fearfully for a long moment, stark disbelief on the vampire's face at the casual savagery from the human.

Angel winced as Xander cut off the vampire's index and middle finger. Apparently the vampire had taken too long to respond.

"Tell me where to find-"

"**Follow the tunnels!**" screamed the vampire as it tried, unsuccessfully, to hyperventilate. Angel felt a twinge of sympathy for the vampire as it suffered the psychosomatic symptoms of a panic attack. Vampires didn't need to breathe after all. "**Back the way we came! There's a wooden marker on the top of each corner showing the way to turn! If there isn't one go straight!**"

Xander cut off the vampire's thumb.

"**It's the truth I swear!**" screamed the vampire. Xander wordlessly rose from the vampire, who immediately cradled his ruined hand and almost began sobbing. A moment later Xander's hammer smashed into its head and it burst into dust.

Xander dusted off his hammer before swinging it back onto his shoulder. "Let's go," he said to Angel before sprinting down the corridor.

"_Jesus Christ"_ breathed Angel before following after him.

***BTVS***

Giles slammed the book closed. Perhaps Xander had the right of it and they should have concentrated on helping Buffy? Except that no one else had the tools necessary to help Buffy directly. Regular human beings did not have a very high rate of survival when combating the supernatural physically. And Giles had to admit that he was past his own physical prime. However, his talents as a mentor and research made him ideal in a support role.

Still, it was a bit galling for the man once known as Ripper to admit that he wasn't as physically able as he once was. That was peripheral to the current situation though. Xander's plan of using Angel to find the Master's lair had a good chance of success and it was incumbent upon Giles to figure out the Master's plan and arrange a counter-strategy.

Unfortunately the time constraints they were operating under were not conducive to an exhaustive search of the materials in the library. And the Pergamum Codex was being particularly obtuse on the Master's fate once he was freed.

"Well, let's think about this, then. The vampires have been gathering, they know he's coming, they will be his army," said Giles pensively as he wondered where, exactly, the vampires would be gathering.

"Do you think they'll gather at the Hellmouth?" asked Ms. Calendar. That was an excellent assumption, thought Giles. Blast, if only he had ascertained with certainty where was the exact location of the hellmouth.

"Well, the last time the Master tried to rise was the Harvest," interjected Willow. "He sent a bunch of vampires to get him fresh blood."

"Well, where did that go down?" asked Ms. Calendar.

"The Bronze," answered Giles in dawning horror. That must be the location of the hellmouth!

"The Dance!" exclaimed Willow.

"We have to warn them," said Giles as he rose and reached for his jacket. Ms. Calendar's hand on his arm stopped him.

"No! We'll go," she motioned to herself and Willow. "You have to concentrate on demon killing. My car's in the lot."

Ms. Calendar and Willow gathered their things before heading out of the library.

"Stay close together, and for goodness' sake, be careful!" called Giles as they made their way to the exit.

"We will," answered Willow as she followed Ms. Calendar out the door.

Giles stared at the swinging doors for a moment before moving toward the book cage and choosing several of the weapons there. While he would ordinarily counsel against active combat for anyone but the Slayer these were extraordinary circumstances.

Perhaps he should unpack some of the larger weaponry he had ordered for his two charges to experiment with? On second thought, most of those weapons require a great deal of brute force to wield. Better to use faster more nimble weapons. His two charges already had a weapon of choice.

Giles smirked to himself. He should probably tease his charge on the relative size of his weapon compared to Buffy's preference to stakes and short swords. Giles smirk faded into a somber expression. Well, they would have to survive the current calamity, firstly.

***BTVS***

The last few tunnels they ran down seemed to be have been hewn out of rock and resembled a cave more than the sewer system they had entered. Xander was sure they were getting closer to the oldest part of the lair. Angel was absolutely sure they were closer to something else that was even older.

Xander and Angel skidded to a stop. Standing at the top of a tunnel that sunk further underground was a tall thin figure dressed in black. His face was pale and demonic, like a normal vampire's twisted features taken to a demonic extreme. The area around his mouth was stained red with blood. It was the Master.

"What a delightful little surprise! Is that you, Angelus? Have you come to beg for your place again? Or merely beg for your life? Did you bring me a snack to bribe me with?" The Master turned his death's head grin on Xander, before he suddenly frowned. "Human with a taste of animal," he muttered to himself before he focused on Xander once more. "Who are you?"

Xander's senses were _screaming_ at him. **Danger! Danger!** Every other scent in the area had been obliterated except for the smell of death and decay and blood emanating from the Master. Xander's entire body was stiff and thrumming with the urge to flee.

"Xander Harris, the Hunter, friend of the Slayer."

"Ah, so you are the reason why she escaped the Three, interesting." The Master nodded while tapping his chin with one clawed finger before he stopped and stared at Xander blankly. "Never heard of you."

"Well, now you know and knowing is half the battle," rambled Xander.

"Yes, the other half is the screaming and the pain and the dying," said the Master with a predator's smile. "I am on a schedule. However, I always say you need to take time to smell the roses. Or in this case rip them to shreds."

Xander's nose twitched as he stared at a drop of blood that was slowly trickling down the Master's chin. He ignored all other scents except for the one from that drop of blood. He sniffed. His eyes widened as he realized he knew, _knew_ who that blood belonged to. All of his fears and anxieties were burned away by the churning ball of fury growing in his chest.

"Where's Buffy?" Xander's voice was suffused with an inhuman growl, causing both the Master and Angel to turn startled glances toward him. The Master recovered first.

"The Slayer?" asked the Master with a grin. He reached up to his face and wiped the blood he just noticed running down his chin with a finger before placing the finger in his mouth and sucking the finger clean with a loud pop. "She was very tasty."

Xander's roar seemed to shake the very walls as he charged forward. The Master's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he stepped forward and grabbed Xander's hands in one of his own. Xander jerked to an abrupt stop that nearly dislocated both of his wrists. The Master twisted his torso to one side and casually tossed Xander into the tunnel wall.

"Hmm, pity, I was hoping for better from the one that-"

The Master was cut off as Xander shot at him from his prone position, his sledgehammer left on the ground. Xander intended his jab to be the first shot in a combo but the Master stepped in and grabbed him around the neck, lifting him completely off the ground.

"Now that wasn't very nice," said the Master with a glare. Xander tried to punch the Master but his arms were not long enough to overcome the Master's reach. The Master's arm was like a steel beam and even a strike to the elbow could not cause it to bend. The Master turned his attention away as he caught Angel around the neck, countering Angel's sucker punch.

"Really, _you_ think to challenge _me_? I _made_ your **sire**! I am the **oldest** of my kind! For over a thousand **years** I have trod upon this world! You have lived a _handful_ of centuries and seek to match my power?" The Master chuckled darkly. "Utter foolishness."

"Fff oo" The Master turned to the red-faced boy in his grip. Curious, he loosened his grip just enough to allow him some air.

"Come again?"

"_Fuck you!_" whispered Xander hoarsely before bringing his foot up and kicking the Master in the face. The Master's head snapped back from the blow. The tiniest trickle of blood began to fall from his nose.

"Raagh!" With his cry the Master spun and tossed both Angel and Xander into the downward sloping tunnel. They both tumbled down the tunnel helplessly, falling in a tangle of limbs and propelled by the Master's strength. The Master hefted Xander's hammer before throwing it like a spear at the downed pair. They managed to roll away from each other to avoid the attack. The hammer struck the ground and embedded itself a quarter of the way up the hilt into the bedrock.

Xander rushed forward. Think, **think**! What did Giles teach him? The Master has reach and height - the Dempsey Roll! Xander dashed at the Master bobbing and weaving his head in a sideways figure eight.

"Do you really think dancing will hel-" Xander's left hook cut off the Master. The Master casually raised his arm to block the blow. Xander had built up so much momentum, however, that instead of stopping cold, the force of Xander's blow overpowered the Master's greater strength. While the blow was blocked the Master was twisted to the side with the force of Xander's punch. "What is thi-"

His exclamation was cut off by Xander's right hook. Blocking this blow resulted in him being twisted to the left. The Master found himself hard pressed to block the left hook that followed. The pattern continued until the Master found himself desperately blocking a veritable storm of hooks. The Master's eyes widened as Xander's speed increased further. Soon Xander would overwhelm his defense!

Unfortunately for Xander, whatever the Master lacked in technique he made up for in centuries of fighting experience. He kicked out at Xander's stomach, the one part of Xander's swaying torso that was not moving wildly. The Master's kick blew Xander off his feet and launched him thirty feet.

"So you have some potential after all." The Master snapped out a hand behind him, grasping Angel around the neck from where he was trying to ambush the Master. "Ah-ah-ah! I _know_ where you are Angelus. Do you really think you can sneak up on me?" The Master threw Angel at Xander sending them both sprawling.

"While this is certainly invigorating I _do_ have a world to plunge into darkness. I think it will be quite amusing to see your desperate struggle to survive once the Old Ones have returned, so you will be spared, for now. I'll need a hobby when I'm not ruling the world after all." The Master turned and strode to the surface. He paused at the foot of the exit tunnel and grasped a nearby boulder. He pulled it into place behind him as he exited, blocking Angel and Xander from following.

Xander and Angel disentangled themselves and rose to their feet. Xander blinked away the spots from in front of his eyes as he tried to get oxygen back into his lungs. The Master had kicked his ass without even really trying!

"We got lucky. Next time how about you plan how you're going to fight the world's oldest vampire?" A raised middle finger was Angel's answer. Angel turned away from Xander with a strangled oath.

Despite his bravado in front of Angel, Xander realized that if the Master had really been trying to kill them they would probably be dead by now. Xander took a deep breath to keep from shaking. All that training and he couldn't – that was Buffy's scent!

"Buffy!" yelled Xander as he rushed forward into the large cave. Angel followed Xander's path around several boulders and wooden furniture. They found Buffy face down in a pool of water. Xander reached her first and plunged into the pool and carried her out.

"Buffy? Come on, wake up!" said Xander as he lightly slapped her face.

"She's not breathing." Xander looked up at Angel who stared at Buffy sadly. "I can't hear her breathe. She's dead."

Xander looked back down at the Buffy and felt his heart constricting in his chest. Where they really too late? He placed his fingers on the side of her neck, hoping against hope that- a pulse!

"Her heart's still beating! Maybe she drowned!" Xander tried to remember everything that Giles taught him about CPR. Tilting Buffy's head back, he hesitated for a fraction of a second before covering her lips with his. Two sharp breaths later and he pumped her chest as Giles taught him. "Come on, come on!" He repeated his actions twice more before Buffy jerked to life and began coughing out water.

"Xander?" she said weakly as she looked up into his face. Xander stroked the hair away from her face before giving in to his impulses and cradling her head as he pressed his cheek to hers.

"You're back," whispered Xander into Buffy's ear. He rubbed his cheek against hers, unmindful of the coughed up water and saliva. "Oh god, I thought…" Xander pulled away from Buffy and looked down at her beautiful face. "You're back."

Buffy moved to get up. Angel and Xander both helped her to her feet. "The Master?"

"He's gone up," answered Angel. Buffy nodded then turned to walk away.

"Whoa, easy there, you're still weak," cautioned Xander. Buffy stopped at his words.

"No. No, I feel strong. I feel different," she said almost to herself before turning to face Xander and Angel. "Let's go! We've got an apocalypse to stop!"

"Are you sure?" asked a worried Xander.

"Of course," said Buffy with a smile before she turned and sprinted for the exit. Xander and Angel tore after her.

"Uh, this is new," said Buffy as they came to the boulder in front of the exit.

"The Master pulled the thing in front the tunnel," said Xander as he wrenched his hammer out of the bedrock. Buffy immediately strode to the side of the boulder and _pushed_. The boulder slowly slid to the side. Angel moved to help her and they quickly overcame the weight of the boulder.

"Okay, _now_, let's go," said Buffy again.

***BTVS***

Cordelia was having a terrible day. It all started when she decided to approach Rosenberg about helping out with the setup for the dance. Then she found Kevin, her sweetie, dead! As if that wasn't bad enough most of his friends were dead as well and they were the volunteers she needed to set up the dance! It was horrible! She had to go suck up to Larry and his goons in order to get everything setup in time. And after all that she couldn't finish getting ready for the dance!

She _could not_ believe that she forgot her favorite lipstick in her school locker! How was she supposed to show up to the dance in proper mourning without her lipstick! Now she was stuck in the library trying to pile stuff in front of the doors to keep those freaky faced things from getting in here!

And were those things _really_ vampires? Because if they are she was so _totally_ going to rip Anne Rice a new one. Not a single one of these guys looked like Brad Pitt! How was she supposed to hook up with an immortal hottie if- oh my god!

"Somebody help!" screamed Cordelia as she struggled with the vampire arm that had burst through the library door window to grab her.

***BTVS***

"How do you know where the Master's going?" asked Xander as he marched with the others, his sledgehammer resting on his right shoulder.

"I know," answered Buffy as a vampire jumped into her path. "Oh look, a bad guy." She punched the vampire hard in the face without breaking her stride. The Vampire fell onto his back where Xander finished him off with a hammer to the face as he walked passed.

"Is it just me or are we heading to the school?"

"We are."

"What! Why are we heading to the school? More importantly why is the Master at the school?"

"Dunno," said Buffy with a shrug, "but that's where he is."

"Giles! **Willow!**" yelled Xander before sprinting down the street at his fastest speed.

"Wow, he's fast," said Buffy before she and Angel began following him. Moving past the park's tree line Buffy almost ran into Xander who had stopped a few feet past the park. "Hey! Watch where, you're, going…" Buffy trailed off as she saw the horde of vampires gathered in the school parking lot.

"That's a lot of vampires," muttered Angel.

"Look, on the roof!" Angel and Buffy followed Xander's pointed finger to the unmistakable figure of the Master standing on the edge of the school roof.

"Okay," huffed Buffy, "how do we get to there from here Angel?"

Xander stared at the vampires. There was so many of them! How the hell was he supposed to get passed them! There were too many, there was no way! What could he do! He was just Xander! Sure he'd gotten stronger but the Master had kicked his ass! Buffy hadn't even considered him as a date! And now she was turning to the _corpse_ for help!

Well of course she was! He had been deluding himself this entire time, thinking that by leaving his parents and trying to make something of himself he could move past Tony's legacy. But now, when it really counted, he was just a **loser** after all.

***BTVS***

Jenny Calendar wondered, not for the first time, how she ended up on a mystical convergence attempting to not get eaten by a horde of vampires. Well, she knew _why_ she was here; she was doing this for family after all. The problem was that she kept getting sucked into the Slayer's work.

Well, she didn't really resent Buffy for that. The girl hadn't had a choice, after all. And really, could she have stood by and done nothing to help? No, she ultimately decided, there was no way she could've done nothing.

Cordelia struck at the vampire's arm that had grabbed her shoulder. The thing wouldn't let her go! Giving in and trying desperately not to think about where the hand had been, she sank her teeth into the vampire's hand. The vampire screamed and let go of her.

"See how _you_ like it!" she snapped.

"This won't keep them out for long!" yelled Willow as she looked for something else to brace against the rear exit. She looked down and saw the tentacle wrapped around her ankle. The tentacle jerked her off her feet and she screamed. Ms. Calendar grabbed her to keep her from being dragged off.

"Giles! **Giles!**" Ms. Calendar screamed. Giles rushed out of his office wielding an Axe. A huge three headed demon with multiple tentacles burst through the floor of the library. Giles looked at the demon in dawning comprehension.

"The Hellmouth!" It was **here**, **in** the Library, **all** this time! How could he have missed- Willow! Giles rushed over to the ensnared Willow and quickly cut off the tentacle binding her ankle.

***BTVS***

"I don't know," said Angel.

It was a good run, for a while, but this is as far as he went. Just when he was making a name for himself he realized how far out of reach his dreams were, how far out of his reach Buffy was, how his life was meant to fail…

"Come on, you have to have some idea! We _have_ to stop him!" pleaded Buffy.

Xander grit his teeth as burning heat blossomed in his chest. Hadn't he killed the Three? Hadn't he destroyed Moloch? Hadn't he killed so many demons and vampires in a few months on his own strength? Was he just going to let everyone down? Was he going to give up! These _bastards_ were standing between him and _his Pride_!

The wood of the sledgehammer creaked in Xander's grip. No, he was **not** going to surrender! This was **his** land! This was **his** Pride!

Buffy turned to Xander when she heard the sledgehammer hit the pavement. "Xander?" she asked as she watched him rear back and take a deep breath.

Xander roared.

Buffy and Angel clutched at their ears as the sound **struck** their bodies. The vampires in front of Xander, the nearest twenty feet away, all fell to the ground, clutching at their bleeding ears. Buffy and Angel, being slightly behind Xander, did not rupture their ear drums but still suffered because of their sensitive hearing.

Miles away the sound of Xander's roar was still heard clearly. In his former home his mother woke form her sleep and clutched at her chest in fear. In Willy's bar the impromptu end of the world celebration came to an abrupt end as the bar was abandoned for the safety of homes and lairs. In the zoo the alpha male of the pride stood and nervously paced his cage. The king of the outer pride lands was going to war.

The Master stared out across the parking lot. The boy was there with the traitor and- "It cannot be! She should be dead!" But there she stood, next to Angelus, alive.

"Follow me!" yelled Xander as he charged forward. Buffy and Angel watched him run toward a small car parked on the street. They followed behind thinking that he was seeking some form of cover.

Xander crouched down and tipped the car up.

"What are you doing!" cried Buffy.

"Getting you to the Master," grunted Xander as he gripped the car's drive shaft. With a cry of effort he lifted the car above his head.

"Holy shit!"

"How the hell are you doing this?"

Xander ignored Angel's question. He also ignored the tearing sensations in his legs and back and the feeling of his spine about to snap. He would **not** fail! Grunting with effort he began to charge forward, quickly gaining momentum with the added mass of the car. Everyone stared at him in disbelief as he charged the vampire horde. As he got closer to the closely packed vampires they began to run in a panic when they realized he was only gaining speed.

With a cry of effort Xander heaved the car forward with so much strength the he slammed himself forward into the ground. Skidding on his shoulder and the side of his face Xander came to a rough stop that ended in a forward roll that left him sitting up. He was able to watch as the car flew forward, smashing into the vampire horde. The car bounced off its front tires, rolling forward on its rear tires as it continued smashing through vampires. Xander rose to his feet and started jogging behind the car's trail of destruction. The car finally skidded to a stop thirty feet from where he threw it.

"Oh my god, Xander, are you okay!"

"I'm fine," said Xander as he wiped the side of his face with a sleeve. The grit on his scrape made him feel thoroughly grimy. "Come on, let's get you to the Master." All three warriors rushed forward, the vampire horde now in complete disarray. They leapt over the car and continued toward the school.

"There should be some stairs we can use-"

"Never mind the stairs, Buff!" Xander stopped twenty feet from the wall of the school. He crouched down with his hands held palm up over his shoulders. "Jump on, I'll give you a push!"

Angel and Buffy shared a glance before Buffy shrugged and moved behind Xander. "I'll jump as soon as you start pushing me off Okay?"

"Sure," Xander nodded, "let's do this."

"Ready? Okay!" muttered Buffy under her breath as she fell back on old cheerleader training. Bracing herself with a hand on Xander's head she hopped onto his hands. "Go!"

Xander stood as fast as he could and pushed as hard as he could manage. The pushback from Buffy's legs as she jumped almost made him stop in mid-motion. Buffy sailed up three stories, easily landing on the school roof across from a stunned Master.

"Hi! You miss me?"

"My children!" yelled the Master. His voice carried out to the edge of the parking lot, drawing the focus of his vampire horde, "**Kill them**! And you!" he whirled on Buffy "You're supposed to be dead! It is written!"

"What can I say," said Buffy with a shrug, "I flunked the written."

Xander turned to the vampire horde. His body felt weary in a way it hadn't since the day he'd been possessed.

"You dropped this," said Angel as he held out Xander's sledgehammer.

"Thanks." Xander hefted his hammer in both hands. "Right or left?"

"Right!" yelled Angel as they both charged at the approaching Vampire horde.

Angel leaped onto the closest vampires in range, a stake in each hand. The vampires crumpled from his leap before bursting into dust. Swinging his stake he slashed one vampire in the face before bringing his other stake up under the vampire's arms and through the vampire's chest. Ripping his stake out Angel spun and stabbed another vampire in the heart before pulling out his stake and stabbing a third with his other hand. The vampires burst into dust one after the other.

Xander swung his hammer in a wide arc. His group of vampires was so close together they did not have any room to retreat and his hammer strike pulverized the head of five vampires at once. The vampires behind the front line found headless bodies in their arms and were so stunned by the attack that Xander took another four with his second swing before the vampires began to break.

Buffy spun away from the Master's slash and used her momentum to bring her leg around in a circle and smashed her heel into the Master's head. It was like striking a hard piece of rock. The Master's head spun and he snarled before he punched Buffy in the side of the head. The Master swept Buffy's legs out from under her. She managed to roll away from the Master in time to avoid his stomp. The roof cracked under the force of the Master's attack.

Angel settled into a whirlwind of swings and strikes, utilizing his stakes like daggers to break through a vampire's defense before staking them. A hand grasped his shoulder and he spun, bringing his elbow down on the arm before he stabbed a vampire in the neck. The vampire reflexively grasped his wound leaving himself open for Angel's strike to his heart.

A series of quick strikes left a vampire with two broken shoulders before Xander kicked him over the other vampires. He caught another vampire leaping at him out of the corner of his eye. Xander swung his hammer, catching the vampire in midair and slammed him into the ground. The vampire burst into dust from his crushed ribcage piercing his heart. Xander hefted his hammer and spun in a circle catching several vampires in the head and pushing the rest of the horde back.

Springing back onto her feet Buffy lashed out with a jump kick that staggered the Master. She wasn't quick enough to completely avoid the Master's retaliatory slash, taking the attack on her shoulder instead of her face. She cried out as she grasped at her bleeding shoulder. She forgot about her shoulder entirely when the Master wrapped his hand around her throat. He lifted her up and walked toward the edge of the roof.

"You certainly were one of the better Slayers I've encountered, the most persistent too. Alas, all things must come to an end. Well, except for immortal vampires and their soon to come empires," said the Master with a grin. "Your end, however, is now at hand. This one here," the Master pointed to the hand choking Buffy, "as a matter of fact."

Angel, having attuned himself along the old sire-childe bonds in order to locate the Master, felt a surge of triumph that could only have one source with Darla now dead. He turned and looked up at the roof. Buffy was in trouble! "Buffy!" yelled Angel.

Xander turned to face Angel and followed his gaze up to the roof. Buffy was in trouble! Xander spun his hammer in a wide arc forcing the few encroaching vampires to back up. With the added space Xander turned around and hefted his hammer by the head. He took two large strides forward before launching his hammer like a spear at the Master.

"It is a shame I have to kill you now. It would have been interesting to see how you fared once I turned the world into hell. Ah well, we can't have every-" The hammer struck the Master in the stomach, doubling him over and causing him to release Buffy.

"Xander!" turning at Angel's yell Xander managed to block just in time to keep a vampire from slashing his neck from behind. Xander hit the vampire with two quick hooks before snapping the vampire's neck. Stomping on the fallen vampire's chest, Xander reached behind himself and drew his knife. Xander leapt forward and slashed at the nearest vampires.

Buffy coughed as her throat and lungs burned for air. Pushing through her body's autonomic reactions, Buffy grabbed Xander's hammer and rose to her feet.

"You want hell so much, why don't you go there!" yelled Buffy as she swung the hammer into the chest of the Master. The Master was lifted off his feet thrown onto the skylight. The skylight cracked and bent but managed to hold his weight. The Master felt a brief moment of relief before Buffy's follow up smash sent him plummeting into the library where he fell on a library table's broken leg. The Master looked at the piece of wood protruding from his chest in stunned disbelief before he burst into dust, leaving his skeleton behind.

Xander was starting to feel very tired. He could feel his movements slowing down slightly as his anger and adrenaline could no longer cope with the strain of fighting for so long. He'd gone into something of a frenzy after throwing his hammer at the Master. In his fury he cut a wide swath of destruction through the massed vampire horde. Tearing the head off one vampire after successfully cutting through its spine with his knife, Xander turned to the nearest vampire only to find them retreating.

Glancing over at Angel he would have been affronted to know that for a moment they shared the same expression of relieved confusion.

"Think we scared them off?"

Angel's only reply was a snort.

***BTVS***

Buffy, Angel and Xander walked into the library. _Cordelia_ of all people was opening the door for them. Xander couldn't even muster the strength to shake his head in wonder at what the world was coming to when Cordelia was opening doors for others. He dragged his feet over to the book cage and nearly dropped his hammer attempting to set it down. Removing the knife and its holster from the back of his belt he set it on the table in the book cage before turning and slowly making his way to the stairs in the library.

"The vampires?" asked Giles as he gazed around the destruction in the library.

"Gone," answered Cordelia.

"The Master?" asked Angel, though he already knew the answer.

"Dead. The Hellmouth is closed." Giles turned his gaze on Buffy who was staring at the remains of the Master. "Buffy…" began Giles before he noticed that she was focused solely on the Master's remains and had not heard him. "Buffy?

"Oh, sorry," said Buffy with a start. "It's just been a really weird day," she smiled at Giles.

"I am quite glad to see you are well Buffy, although…" Giles trailed off, not knowing how to ask the question on his mind.

"Hm?" Buffy tilted her head and looked curiously at Giles.

Giles fidgeted for a moment before deciding that the direct approach would be best. "The Prophecy?"

"Oh!" Buffy gave her Watcher a wry grin. "I died and everything."

"Wow!" exclaimed Willow in surprise before turning a sympathetic look on Buffy. "Harsh."

"I should have known that wouldn't stop you," said Giles proudly. Buffy beamed at him.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Ms. Calendar as she saw that everyone was in one piece.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get out of this place," said Giles as he polished his glasses. He put them back on and gave a disapproving look at the room. "I don't like the library very much anymore."

"I'm thinking bed," said Xander as he sat down heavily on the stairs to the library's upper level.

"We could go to the dance at the bronze!" exclaimed Cordelia. Xander groaned at the thought of energetic movement.

Willow smiled at the suggestion and turned to her friend, "Buffy?"

"Sure!" exclaimed Buffy with a nod. "We saved the world. I say we party!" She turned a look down at her now soiled dress. "I mean, I got all pretty."

Ms. Calendar waved a hand in the direction of the Master's remains. "And what about him?"

"He's not going anywhere. _Loser_," said Buffy as she glared at the bones.

Giles walked over and stretched a hand out to Xander who took it and groaned as Giles pulled him up. They followed as the group headed out the door.

"Are you all right my boy?" he asked Xander softly.

"Tired and sore," muttered Xander as he trudged next to Giles. "Master kicked my ass. I also picked up a car and threw it thirty feet."

"You what?" asked a startled Ms. Calendar. Xander and Giles turned to see Ms. Calendar standing next to them as she stared at Xander in astonishment.

Xander groaned. "You tell her, I'm too tired."

"You can come with us, Angel," chirped a happy Willow.

"I'm hungry," proclaimed Buffy suddenly.

"Uh, well, you see, Xander uh…" Giles fidgeted for a moment. "He was possessed by the primal spirit of a lion."

Xander frowned as he walked around the vehicle by the entrance of the library. "So what's the story with the car?"

Ms. Calendar nodded at Giles statement with a thoughtful frown. "You know, that does explain some things I've noticed lately."

"Oh, that was me, saving the day!" exclaimed Cordelia with a beaming smile. Xander grunted and continued trudging toward the exit.

"Get something to drink," suggested Willow.

"Is anybody else hungry?" asked Buffy to the group in general.

"Well, no, don't do that," said Willow as she shook her head furiously for a moment. She scrunched her face up in thought for a moment. "Just hang," she suggested with a nod and a smile.

"Truly?" asked a genuinely curious Giles. "I know you are familiar with the supernatural but I was not quite expecting such aplomb."

"I'm really, really hungry." Angel slowed down to walk next to Buffy.

"We're living on top of an active hellmouth," stated Ms. Calendar with a grin. "If it wasn't strange or unusual I think I would _really_ start to worry." Giles returned her grin before dropping back to join Xander.

"By the way, I really like your dress," Angel told Buffy softly.

"Yeah, yeah, big hit with everyone," huffed Buffy.

"Are you truly all right, Xander?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Giles, just really tired."

Giles clasped an arm around Xander. "Thank you, Xander, for saving Buffy." Giles adjusted his glasses nervously with his free hand. "I don't know if I've said it lately but, Xander," Giles took in a deep breath before turning an approving smile on Xander, "I'm _very_ proud of you, son."

Xander's eyes widened for a moment before he blushed furiously. "Thanks," he whispered hoarsely. Giles squeezed Xander in a brief hug before moving up to rejoin Ms. Calendar.

Xander looked over the group as the last person out of the library. Cordelia started up her car, getting ready to back it out of the school. Willow was moving to help Cordelia back out. Giles and Ms. Calendar were arguing over whether or not Giles would be dancing once they reached the Bronze. Angel and Buffy…

Xander sighed as he felt a familiar twinge in his heart. Angel and Buffy were quietly flirting with each other. At least Buffy was alive, thought Xander to himself. At least everyone was alive. Xander turned and looked back through the still swinging doors of the library. The remains of the Master were just barely visible whenever the door swung open far enough.

It had been too close this time. He needed to get stronger if he was ever to adequately protect his Pride. He would need to train harder and focus more on learning to use his powers fully. Xander grimaced as he walked up to the rest of the group. Maybe he should wait until he healed up before committing to further physical exertion.

Or maybe he would just avoid tossing cars in the future.


	7. Cruel Intentions

**Chapter 7 – Cruel Intentions**

"That was really, _really_ unpleasant."

"You don't seem to be injured," said Giles as he looked Xander over, "so what was unpleasant about tonight's task?"

"Those things smell."

"Of course, that's how they track their prey. They use a highly specialized-"

"No-no-no, I meant they smell as in they stink, reek, emit a pungent odor, are malodorous-"

"Yes, Xander, I get it. Their foul stench was remarked upon in several of the accounts I read. Why would that pose a great difficul…" Giles trailed off as Xander tapped his nose. Giles pulled his glasses off and began polishing them. "Ah, yes, of course, how forgetful of me." Giles set his glasses back on his face. "Other than the nasal issue," Giles paused as Xander snorted at his inadvertent pun, "were there any other difficulties?"

"Nope. The staff works great. The weight actually feels the same as the wooden ones. You know, before the enhanced strength."

"Excellent! Were you able to manipulate it as I showed you?"

Xander nodded. "It was actually easier than using the wooden staff. I think the greater weight helped to keep it from flying out of my hands every time I tried one of the fancy moves you showed me."

"Hmm, perhaps the added weight off-set your enhanced strength and the net result is that you can utilize the much heavier staff using the same technique as a proportionally lighter staff in the hands of an unenhanced human?"

"Sure feels like it."

"Excellent. Now we shall test the short sword." Giles gestured to a blade sitting on the counter. Xander hefted the blade.

"Whoa. This is heavier than the other swords."

"It should be. I had a Smith I know forge that sword specifically with a weighted lead core."

Xander swung the sword through the air as Giles had taught him. "This is easier to handle than the other swords. Or, rather, it doesn't feel as flimsy."

"Excellent. Tomorrow night you can put it to the test."

"I'll give it a shot but that might not happen."

"Whatever for?" asked Giles with a frown.

"There are zero vampires out there."

Giles stared at Xander with wide eyes. "There are no vampires in Sunnydale?"

"Nope, not a single one. I've checked out every single site on my patrol route that had any concentration of vampire scent at all. They were all former nests and they were all abandoned."

"Truly? This is quite remarkable. I- I- I suppose that the mystical backlash of the Master's death and the closing of the Hellmouth may have driven them away."

"Or maybe they saw they way me and Deadboy were mowing through them and they decided to get the hell out of Dodge?"

Giles stared at Xander for a long moment before replying. "Yes, that absolutely has to be the reason."

"You know, sarcasm just doesn't become you."

Giles smirked unrepentantly.

***BTVS***

"Okay-okay-okay, I think I finally got this, just hold on." Xander took a deep breath. "Raah!" He turned to Giles and Willow. "How was that?"

"That was…" Willow turned to Giles.

"You are _truly_ the king of beasts, Xander."

"Oh, ha-ha, very funny Giles, make fun of all my hard work why don't you?"

Giles opened his mouth when he froze. A moment later he was furiously polishing his glasses. "Good lord, it's getting worse."

Willow frowned in confusion. "What's getting worse?"

"Giles' indoctrination!" exclaimed Xander triumphantly as he raised his arms in the air. He brought his finger down and pointed it at Giles, "I have a Hawaiian shirt with your name on it!"

"Never!" said Giles firmly as he set his glasses back on his face. "Now, Xander, don't force it to work the way you think it should but let it flow naturally."

"Okay, just, give me a minute, let me try and remember how it felt." Xander closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, letting his breath out slowly. Xander thought back to how he felt before he roared. He remembered the anger that burned through his self-doubt and despair. He didn't try to recall that anger but he still felt it. Letting go of the anger as best he could he began to feel something else, something _alive_ within himself. For a moment he saw himself at the edge of a cliff, the plains stretched out before him. This was his land, his domain. He felt an urge swell in his chest and knew he had to let it out, let everyone know that this was **his** land!

Xander reared back then let loose with a powerful roar. Willow and Giles clapped their hands over their ears as they winced in pain. Giles collapsed against the library's new study table and Willow barely managed to remain seated instead of falling to the floor. Directly in front of Xander most of the books fell from the recently repaired shelves. Xander's grin melted into concern when he turned to Willow and Giles.

"Are you guys alright?"

"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick," muttered a distinctly green Willow.

"That, that, that was much more violent than I expected," said Giles as he rubbed at his ears.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"What?" yelled Willow while she still covered her ears.

Giles stared at Xander as he yelled "What was that?"

"Are you guys alright?" yelled Xander.

"What?"

"Come again?"

"Uh, maybe you should wear earplugs next time," suggested Xander.

"I can't hear anything!"

"I think it would be advisable to, to, to wear earplugs, um, next time!"

"Next time we should get earplugs!" suggested Willow.

"Also, perhaps we should not stand so close!" suggested Giles.

Several minutes later their hearing returned and Willow no longer felt quite so sick.

"Oh, thank goodness that wasn't permanent," said Giles with a sigh.

"Yeah, that really hurt," added Willow.

"Ah, I guess I should have mentioned that the last time I did this several vampires bled from their ears?"

"Quite," deadpanned Giles. "We should probably not be standing so close for your next attempt."

"Yeah, it felt like I was getting the stuffing knocked out of me."

"Yes, the, the, the intensity of your roar was much more than I expected. Nevertheless we seem to have been successful. Now, we should see about measuring the strength of your, your, your roar."

"Ooh, we have stuff we can use in the A/V room!"

"I'll help you get it Wills, back in a sec' Giles!"

"Let's set up in here. I'll be back once I've acquired some earplugs."

Once all the equipment was acquired and Willow and Giles had safely ensconced themselves within Giles' office, Xander repeated his roar. It took five attempts before he was successful.

"Okay, how was that?" asked Xander as he stepped into the office. Willow was frowning at the measuring device's screen while Giles looked stunned. "Uh, guys? What's up?"

"You broke the mike!" exclaimed Willow.

"Perhaps the microphone should be placed further away?" suggested Giles. Willow turned a furious glare on him. "I will personally replace the microphone Willow, so no one will get into trouble for destroying school equipment." Willow subsided at his reassurance.

"I broke the mike?"

"Let's set up the next mike further away and try again, shall we?"

One more attempt, which Xander got on his third try, and another broken microphone later found the three of them back in Giles' office.

"I will replace **both** microphones Willow, please! Ten feet is too close. Let us try twenty."

"Should I hold back?"

"No, Xander, we should strive to have as accurate data as is possible. Let us hope that the distance will be enough to get an, an, an accurate reading without destroying yet another microphone."

Another attempt finally yielded in a result.

"So, how loud was it?"

"It peaked at about 150 decibels," answered Willow in excitement.

"So," Xander dragged the word out, "is that good?"

"It is quite exceptional Xander. Most lion roars have been measured at an average of 110 decibels."

"It's not that much louder then."

"Uh, decibels are measured logarithmically." Willow sighed when Xander stared at her blankly. "If it was linear then your roar would only be half-again as powerful as a regular lion's roar. Logarithmically means that your roar is almost ten _thousand_ times more powerful."

"Whoa."

"There does seem to be a, a, a mystical component to your roars, however. Even at that great level of sound, your roar seems to exhibit a greater amount of physical force than, than this measurement would indicate. Even extremely loud and powerful sounds would not have toppled the books as your roar did. Nor would they have damaged the microphones in, in, in quite the same fashion."

"Huh. Well, that's good to know."

"Alright, while the two of you put the equipment away I shall run down to the music store and replace the microphones. When I get back we shall test your speed."

"We'll scout out the track, see if anyone's around," said Xander as he and Willow walked out of the library. "Come one Wills, I need to go get changed."

"You want me to come with you?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Into the _boy's locker room_?" asked a blushing Willow.

Xander scrunched up his nose. "Well, maybe not _into_. That place reeks!"

"Is it that bad?" asked Willow. Xander pantomimed vomiting. "How do you handle it then?"

"I try not to breathe."

"Oh, does that work?" chirped Willow cheerfully.

"No."

***BTVS***

"Are you certain that there are no vampires in the vicinity of Sunnydale?"

"Yes. Whatever happened with the Master and the hellmouth has made all of them skedaddle. On the plus side, I bring you loot!" exclaimed Xander with a flourish to the very full duffle bag sitting on the couch.

Giles stared at the duffle bag for a moment. "What _exactly_ did you get Xander?"

"I want back into the sewers to make sure that there weren't any vampires hiding out there-"

"That was **extremely** dangerous Xander! We'd agreed that journeys into the sewer system would **not** be made **without** backup!"

"Relax, relax! My nose would have let me know of any danger. It looks like without the vamps down there the smell of blood is _a lot_ less. I was expecting to meet only minimal resistance. I met none."

"Absolutely none?" asked a shocked Giles.

"Zip, zilch, nada! I really think the vampires have all left. Whether that's permanent or not…" Xander shrugged.

"Hmm, perhaps we should see how we could determine the status of the hellmouth…"

"In any case, G, I bring you loot!" exclaimed Xander as he opened the duffle bag and pulled out a well-cared but obviously worn book.

"W-w-w-what is this?" asked Giles as he took the book from Xander.

"The personal library of the oldest vampire in the world!" exclaimed Xander triumphantly.

"You raided the Master's…" Giles stared slack-jawed at his charge.

"Yep! This is but the first. It'll probably take three or four trips to get it all. Plus there were some nice looking weapons I wanted to get."

"This is fantastic Xander! Think of what tomes the Master could have accumulated during his existence!"

"That's what I thought when I found myself heading there. It used to be Vamp central, after all. I think you should come with me next time."

"Whatever for?"

"There's a lot of stuff down there. Some of it may be relics or artifacts of note. I figure you have the best shot of seeing if there is anything useful down there. I know if _I_ was a thousand year old vampire, I would have kept all the best weapons and tools to myself. Even if I couldn't use them."

"That," Giles paused as he searched for what to say, "that is a remarkably astute observation Xander."

"Seems this old noggin' is for more than smashing people in the face!"

Giles rolled his eyes.

***BTVS***

"Well that kind of sucked."

"Hmm, yes. While these tomes may prove to be invaluable I too was expecting for the Master to have been hoarding some artifacts for himself."

"Oh well. So other than the lack of cool new toys did we get some good stuff?" Xander turned after a moment to find Giles almost buried in one of the new books. "Huh, I guess so." He muttered to himself. Setting a pot to boil, Xander set out a pair of steaks and tossed them in the broiler on low. Walking back into the living room, Xander flopped onto Giles' couch. He stared at the coffee table and the open living room centered on a nice area rug.

"We really need a TV," Xander muttered to himself.

"Chapter 23 tonight Xander."

Xander grimaced. Perhaps he wasn't as quiet as he thought.

"And, no, we do not need an idiot box, thank you."

"So what are you going to do when Ms. Calendar comes over? Regale her with your rapier wit?"

"Yes." Giles stopped for a long moment. He looked up slowly to find Xander gaping at him. Unfortunately his English complexion left him bereft of defenses from the blush that overtook him. Xander's look of shock turned into a nearly predatory grin.

"Ah-hah!" cried in triumph, flourishing his pointer finger into the air. "You **do** have a thing for our illustrious computer teacher!"

Giles grimaced, "I would thank you _not_ to go spreading it around."

"No problem. My lips are sealed."

Giles stared at the incredibly innocent look on Xander's face for a very long moment. "I'm doomed," he muttered morosely while he palmed his face.

"Giles and Ms. Calendar sitting in a tree, K-I-S-"

"Blast it all!"

***BTVS***

"Okay, um," temporized Willow.

"It's your turn," insisted Xander as he took a lick of his ice cream cone. His eyes casually glanced at the darkness around them. It had been months since he had even smelled a vampire near Sunnydale. Even the rest of the Deadites were keeping away.

"I, alright, okay, uh," Willow frowned in concentration a moment before she reached an epiphany. "Oh! 'In the few hours that we had together, we loved a lifetime's worth.'" She recited with a smile.

"Terminator," answered Xander.

"Good! Great."

"Um, oh, okay, I got one." Xander launched into histrionics as he quoted, "'It's a madhouse! A mad-"

"Planet of the Apes," interjected Willow with a smile.

"Can I finish, please?"

"Oh! Sorry, go ahead."

"'...house!'" Finishing his melodramatic impersonation of Charlton Heston, Xander motioned to Willow that she was free to answer.

"Planet of the Apes," she answered dutifully. "Okay, good. Me. Uh…"

"Well?" asked Xander after a long moment of silence.

"I'm thinking 'Use the Force, Luke.'"

"Do I even have to dignify that with a guess?" asked Xander with a smirk on his face.

"I couldn't think of anything," said Willow with a pout, "It's a dumb game anyway."

"Well, what else do you want to do? We already played rock-paper-scissors. My hands cramped up."

"Well, yes, if you're always scissors of course your tendons are going to strain-"

"Y'know," Xander interrupted, "I just gotta say that this has been the most boring summer ever."

"You don't like spending time with me?" asked a downcast Willow.

"Huh?" Xander turned a confused look at Willow's question, "Are you kidding me? Spending time with you is great! It is the sole reprieve in the monotony of my current existence," said Xander in a depressed tone while holding the back of his hand to his forehead. Willow giggled at his antics. Xander immediately brightened and added "that and ice cream!" as he took another lick of his cone.

"So what has you so bored?"

"Ugh, you cannot believe how much Giles has me studying."

"So you finished all your summer assignments?"

"Summer assignments? I had those down the first week out! I was expecting to read through some more manuals and compendiums on fighting demons not running through a crash course of Latin and Ancient Greek!"

"You learned Latin and Ancient Greek?" asked a wide-eyed Willow.

"You would too if a slave-driver was working you ten hours a day to learn them," Xander turned a brief appraising look on Willow, "Well, you probably wouldn't have taken half as long."

"That's true," agreed Willow before a horrified look came over her face, "No! I mean, you're smart too-"

"Relax," drawled Xander as he patted his friend on her shoulder and took another lick of his ice cream cone. "I made my peace with the fact that you're smarter than me a long time ago. It's just a simple fact. Besides, Giles has been hammering it into my head that I'm pretty smart too, I just have to 'apply myself to more productive pursuits' or so he says."

"You do! Come on, Xander, you know why you need good grades."

"Maybe," shrugged Xander. He stepped back in surprise as Willow shook a finger in his face.

"No listen here, mister! You are _not_ your parents and you will _never_ be your parents! So you stop that not-trying nonsense right now!"

"Or what?" Xander couldn't help himself but ask.

"Or, or, I'll, um, ban Twinkies from Sunnydale!" exclaimed Willow triumphantly.

Xander gasped in horror, "you wouldn't!"

"Don't test me mister," warned Willow with her sternest look. It melted into a shy blush when Xander kissed her on the nose.

"I love you Willow. You're a great friend."

"Aww, how cute!" snarled a rough voice. Xander and Willow spun around to face a blonde vampire wearing a business suit.

"Vampire!" yelled Willow in fear.

"Vampire!" exclaimed Xander in pleased realization.

"What?" asked the vampire, confused at the obvious signs of joy on Xander's face.

"Yes! Have at thee!" yelled Xander in joy as he threw his ice cream cone into the vampire's face. The cone smashed into the vampires face, momentarily blinding him.

"Ah, what the fuck!" the vampire screamed as he struggled to wipe the ice cream from his face. He cleared the ice cream from his eyes in time to see a palm enclose his vision.

Grabbing the vampire by the face, Xander lifted him up and slammed him into the ground at the end of a running leap. Running after the vampire as it skid along the ground, Xander leapt and landed on the vampires shoulders, dislocating both his arms. Kneeling on the vampire's chest he pulled out his knife from the holster hidden on his lower back.

"Hey, you still awake?"

"Who, who are you?" stammered the vampire in fear.

"I'm Batman," growled Xander.

"What?"

"I'm- never mind, are you the only vampire here?"

"What?"

"Where is your nest? The rest of your murder?"

"Murder?"

"Yes, murder, as in group, pack, band, the rest of your nest?"

"It's just me!"

"Okay, then why are you in Sunnydale?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time?"

"Why now? Why not earlier in the summer?"

"I, I, I," the vampires face scrunched up in an approximation of a painful scowl, "I don't know!"

"Damn, and I was hoping to get some answers out of you," said Xander as he lowered his knife to the vampire's neck.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Xander paused with his knife resting on the neck of the vampire. "What?"

"Round 2!" exclaimed the vampire, punctuating his answer with a punch from his now healed arms. Xander flew off the vampire, losing his grip on his knife from the unexpected attack. The vampire leapt on Xander before he could scramble back to his feet. Xander cursed himself as he held the vampire at bay. He was far too out of practice if one vampire could put him on the defensive!

A hand grabbed the vampire around the shoulder and tossed him off of Xander. Xander stared up at the lovely figure in black standing above him in the honestly too small skirt that showed off a lovely pair of long, smooth, beautiful-

Xander shook his head as Buffy easily dispatched the vampire as if she had not taken a three-month vacation herself. Xander frowned as his mind informed him that Buffy had said something while he was distracted by her- um, forget that thought. Buffy said something and he missed it.

"Buffy!"

"Wow, you two are really slacking! Wandering around at night, no crosses, no stakes?"

"Well, in our defense, this is the first vampire we've seen since the night you killed the Master," said Willow while Xander recovered his knife.

"It's like they knew I was coming back," muttered Buffy. Xander cocked an eyebrow at her odd tone. He held his tongue as Willow rushed over to give Buffy her hug. Xander stepped in as they finished. He ran his cheek against Buffy as he lifted her up and twirled her around. God she smelled so good!

"Xander!" she cried with a brief laugh.

"Missed you too Buffy." He said as he set her back down. "How've you been?"

"Good. I spent time with my Dad, went shopping, you know, normal stuff."

"That's great! So you had a good time?" chirped Willow.

"Yeah, what about you guys? What happened around here?"

"We were actually just discussing the record level of boredom this summer had reached."

"Yeah, the biggest thing we did was bury the Master's remains," Willow turned and pointed to an ancient oak tree in the cemetery they were passing. "Right over there, actually. We got to wear robes and there was this whole ceremony and everything!"

Willow seemed to miss the dark look that passed over Buffy's face at the mention of the Master. "Right over there, huh?"

Xander snorted. "Speak for yourself Willow. There were a couple of demons Giles had me hunt down at the beginning of summer vacation," Xander missed Buffy's skeptical look as he continued, "but the most exciting thing _I_ did was raid the Master's lair."

Buffy stared in shock at Xander. "What!" she cried.

Xander grinned cockily at Buffy, "I figure everything there is ours by right of conquest." His cocky smile faded as he continued. "Except the only thing worth anything down there was a bunch of books." Xander shrugged his shoulders. "Giles was happy."

"Oh, and how is the Watcher doing?"

"Same old, same old," answered Xander, "been making me read. I've spent more time studying this summer than I have sleeping! Can you believe that! Worst summer vacation **ever**."

Buffy laughed at Xander's sour look.

"So, Buffy, are you excited to start school soon?" asked Willow with genuine enthusiasm. "I can't wait for classes to start! Think about everything we're going to learn…" Willow trailed off at Buffy's raised eyebrow.

"It's school," Buffy said in an amused tone.

"Well, I can't be the only one that's excited…" Willow trailed off again at Xander's raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, but I don't think we all share your enthusiasm." Willow pouted at Xander's words. She blushed furiously when Xander nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "Don't ever change Willow." She turned to smile at her crush but he was already facing Buffy. "By the way, Buff, I like the hair."

Buffy reached up and twirled some strands around her finger. "Thanks," she replied with coquettish smile. She reached up to brush at Xander's own hair. It had grown even longer over the summer. "I like the shaggy look."

Xander blushed deeply, making Buffy grin even more. Neither of them noticed Willow frowning at both of them.

***BTVS***

"Giles!"

"Hey Gi- and _Miss Calendar_," Xander wildly waggled his eyebrows at Giles. Miss Calendar turned a brief curious look at Xander until she noticed Giles' spectacular blush. She turned a pleased grin on the blushing librarian which he studiously ignored.

"Willow. _Xander_." Giles' tone did nothing to curtail Xander's smirk.

"Hi kids," greeted Jenny as Buffy descended from the stairs behind Xander and Willow. Giles immediately stepped toward Buffy as she came into view.

"How are you?"

"Alive and kicking," she answered. Giles frowned slightly at her wording but did not get a chance to question her as Willow spoke up.

"Buffy killed a vampire last night!"

Xander and Giles immediately began surveying the traffic in the hall to see if anyone overheard. Willow looked sheepish as she noticed their actions.

"Uh, I think you can get a little more volume if you speak from the diaphragm," admonished Buffy.

"Sorry," squeaked Willow.

Jenny stepped closer into the group and asked quietly, "We have vampires? I thought the Hellmouth was closed?"

"Well, it is closed b-but not gone. I-in fact the hellmouth was closed all of last year, and, and before that as well."

"You mean we had all those supernatural occurrences with a closed Hellmouth?" asked a disturbed Jenny.

"Closing the Hellmouth last year just returned us to the status quo," said Xander. "Near as Giles can tell the mystical backlash from closing the Hellmouth drove the Deadites away. Looks like we only got a couple of months before they started coming back."

"Deadites?" asked Giles.

"He means to say Bumpies, you know, things that go bump in the night?" said Willow.

"No, I mean to say Deadites. Bumpies is something they'd use on a kids show. One of the uncool ones." Willow huffed and turned away from Xander. Giles pinched his nose in annoyance.

"We're getting off track here," said Jenny, "are the Deadites coming back?" At Willow's betrayed look, Jenny shrugged, "Sorry, Willow, you _are_ my favorite student but I _love_ Evil Dead."

"Hah!"

"Don't rub it in Xander," Jenny scolded.

"Okay, sorry Wills." Willow merely pouted at his apology.

"Yes, well, I wonder if the," Giles paused before he grimaced and continued, "_Deadites_ are here for any particular purpose?"

"Hey, you're the Watcher, I just work here," stated Buffy with a shrug.

"Yes, I, I must consult my books."

Xander held a hand out to Willow. "Pay up." Willow handed Xander a dollar as the others looked on in confusion. "I called ten minutes before you consulted your books. Thanks," he said to Willow. Jenny smiled while Buffy rolled her eyes. Giles turned a very sour look on his charge. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the bell.

"We better get to class," said Willow to the group at large.

Giles stepped closer to Buffy, "Uh, Buffy!" Buffy turned toward her Watcher. "Uh, I realize you've only just returned, but when you're ready I-I think we should start your training again."

"I'm ready. I'll see you after school."

"Well, I, I, I understand if, if you want a few days to-"

"I'm ready," stated Buffy firmly before she turned and joined the traffic going to class.

***BTVS***

"Oh, you are so going down!"

"Hah! No way you're winning this one Harris!"

"Sorry Summers but I got you beat in height, weight, reach, wit _and _looks!"

"**No way!** You take that back!"

"Make m- okay you definitely have me beat in the looks department."

"_And_ wit."

"Uh-uh, your dull bludgeon is no match for my sharp rapier, Beautiful."

"Beautiful?"

"Hey, I calls 'em like I sees 'em."

Buffy's smile turned into a smirk. "If that's the best your wit can do I think you need a whetstone."

"Oh! And mylady doth cut me to the quick! Alas! I am betrayed and undone by the _smallest_ of daggers."

"Did you just make a _short_ joke?"

Xander's face vacillated between a grin and a smirk. "I calls 'em like I sees 'em."

"I'll have you know that I am perfectly proportional, Paul Bunyan!"

Xander slowly looked her up and down. Buffy blushed under his intense stare. "That you are, Buffy, that you are."

"Oh for goodness sake! Will you two just go snog already!" Buffy and Xander whirled on Giles who was holding his head in frustration.

"Ugh, Giles, c'mon!"

"Eww! Why would we do that?"

Xander turned to Buffy, "What's snog?"

Buffy shrugged in answer, "Don't know, but sounds gross."

"Agreed."

"I-it means," Giles paused and took in his two charges. Bloody teenage hormones! "Forget it, if you two want to flirt instead of spar, be my guest-"

"Giles!"

"Dude!"

"-but please do it on your own bloody time!"

"Okay," answered the two cowed teens in unison.

Xander and Buffy squared up. Xander gestured for Buffy to go ahead.

"Ladies first."

"Such a gentleman."

Buffy dashed forward with a jab that Xander side stepped. His return straight was ducked. They settled into an exchange of rapid punches. Buffy constantly pressed forward while Xander tried to use his greater reach to his advantage. Buffy kicked first, snapping out a spinning roundhouse. Xander ducked down and swept her off her feet.

"Poin-nah!" Xander's triumphant cry was cut off as Buffy flipped to her feet and snapped out a spinning jump kick that would have taken his head off if he hadn't leaned back out of the way. As it was, Xander could feel the breeze from her blow hitting him in the face. Dashing back before she landed Xander tried to keep her at bay with several long jabs.

Buffy ducked and dodged Xander's attacks as she edged closer to him. Her jump kick and thrusting sidekick were both dodged, although the sidekick grazed Xander's chest. Buffy spun around Xander's front kick. Fortunately for Xander she spun towards his front and not his back. Unfortunately this put Buffy almost within his guard. He was grazed several times while trying to bob and weave around her point blank assault.

After an uppercut grazed the side of his face, leaving a long red welt behind, Xander resorted to unorthodox measures and grabbed Buffy by the shoulders, lifting her off the ground and holding her at arm's length.

"Ha! What are you going to do now, shortstack?"

Buffy struggled against Xander's implacable grip. Unfortunately, Xander _was_ stronger than her, even if it was only slightly. With his current leverage it would be impossible to break free. Still, Buffy's instinct forced her to continue struggling futilely. Suddenly she looked up and saw not Xander's smirking face but the Master's grinning visage.

The sudden vicious kick to his solar plexus caught Xander completely off guard. It also knocked the breath out of him. He blocked Buffy's next two punches on pure instinct, but they still shook his head up _through_ the guard. Stepping back, Xander dodged her next three punches. He was vaguely aware of Giles yelling at them but couldn't spare any attention for him. Finally drawing in a breath after having it forcibly knocked out of him, Xander was knocked back by a left hook. The blow left him completely open to Buffy's full force thrust kick. The attack sent Xander flying through the air to smash into the library counter.

"Buffy! Enough!" Giles voiced rang out like the crack of a whip, stopping Buffy cold. Giles rushed over to Xander, who was slowly pulling himself out of the counter. "Xander! Are you alright?"

"Just peachy. This is all part of my devious plan to lure Buffy into a false sense of security by throwing myself into the environment." Xander finally stood under his own power. He pulled a piece of wood from his hair. "Do you think it's working?"

Giles snorted then turned to face his slayer. "I think that was a bit much for a spar, don't you?"

"Uh, yeah, sorry Xander. You alright?" asked Buffy through her panting.

"Not even a bruise. Well, except maybe my pride, but nobody cares about that. Still, it looks like you're ready for action Buff."

Taking a deep breath and bunching her hair above her head Buffy said, "I'm ready for anything they've got coming." She continued nodding slowly as she muttered, "yeah, I'm ready."

***BTVS***

"Angel stopped by?" asked Willow gleefully the next day, "Wow. Was there," Willow paused to try and control her blush, "Well, I mean, was it having to do with kissing?"

"Willow, grow up," answered Buffy with a sigh, "Not everything is about kissing."

Xander stayed back and tried to cover up the snarl trying to break out on his face.

"So no kissing at all?" pressed Willow.

"Okay, hormones on parade here? It was pure shoptalk. Remember vampires, pointy teeth, they walk by night, am I ringing a bell?" asked Buffy rhetorically.

"What did he say?"

"Oh, something's up," replied Buffy airily as she finished with her locker. Slamming it shut with a slight bang she turned and continued walking to class. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Oh, hey, did you guys hear that Cibo Matto's going to be at the Bronze tonight?" inserted Xander nonchalantly as plans and ideas formed in his head.

"Cibo Matto? They're playing?"

"No, Willow, they're going to be clog dancing," replied Xander sarcastically.

"Cibo Matto can clog dance?" asked Willow with shock and glee. Xander turned a deadpan look on her and raised one eyebrow. "Oh, sarcasm, right."

"We should attend, no?" he asked the two girls. His question was subtly addressed more toward Buffy than Willow.

"Oh, look, it's the Three Musketeers," said Cordelia in her customarily scathing tone. The group paused for a moment as the three of them looked at each other questioningly.

"Was that an insult?" Buffy asked Xander.

Xander scrunched up his face and said, "Kinda lacked punch."

"The Three Musketeers were cool," replied Willow firmly.

"I see your point," said Cordelia as she considered that the Musketeers _were_ hard-bodied Frenchmen. Well, except for the fat one, ugh!

"I would've gone with Stooges," Xander told Buffy.

"Well, I just meant that you guys always hang out together," blurted out Cordelia rapidly. "So, did you guys fight any demons this summer?" she asked with a strange enthusiasm.

"Uh, yes!" said a startled Willow. Remembering her own blunder earlier this morning Willow looked around to try and spy anyone eavesdropping on their conversation. "Our own personal demons," she added loudly.

Xander was startled as well and chimed in with, "Uh, such as, as, as lust and, uh, thrift!"

"I would have to go with Stooges also," stated Buffy firmly staring askance at Xander, who had flushed once he realized what he had actually said.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Cordelia with an air of exasperation. "I'm talking about big squiggly demons that come from the ground? Remember? Prom night? With all the vampires?" The group grew more anxious as Cordelia continued to blithely flaunt the group's supernatural activities.

"Cordelia, your mouth is open and sound is coming from it," said an alarmed Buffy. "This is never good."

"No," agreed Xander as he guided Cordelia out of the flow of students in the hallway."It's, see, we can't mention that stuff in front of other people, Buffy being the Slayer and all."

"You haven't been talking about our little adventure all summer, have you?" asked a horrified Willow.

"Are you nuts? Do you think I would tell people that I spent the whole evening with you?" scoffed Cordelia. "Besides, it was all so creepy. That Master guy? And all the screaming? I don't even like to think about it." She turned to Buffy and nodded firmly. "So your secret's safe with me."

"Well, that works out great. You won't tell anyone that I'm the Slayer, and I won't tell anyone you're a moron," said Buffy scathingly before she turned and left.

"Now, that was a good insult," said Xander as he watched Buffy walk away.

"A little too good," said Willow with a frown.

Cordelia asked the question they were all thinking. "What's up with her?"

***BTVS***

"I just think something's up is all," said Willow. She wished Xander would turn around. He'd been leaning back against the table almost since they arrived. He'd kept a close eye on the door, waiting for Buffy. Willow began to sulk and ended up eating some ice cream while staring at her crush's profile. The longer hair looked really sexy-

"You might be on to something there," said Xander. From her angle, Willow was unable to see Xander rub at the bruise on his chest as he spoke. Buffy had really kicked Xander's ass earlier.

"Buffy's never acted like this before. Ever since she got back she's," Willow paused as she struggled to define Buffy's recent behavior, "different."

"Buffy's always been different," asserted Xander halfheartedly. The words sounded hollow even to his ears. He glanced over to the darkened area under the stairs. The _Corpse_ was still there watching the entrance like he was. It turned and caught his eye. Xander glared. What the hell are you doing here, _Deadboy_?

"She's never been mean," replied Willow. While Buffy could have a biting wit she was never deliberately cruel.

Xander sighed. When did his life become a Soap Opera? Oh, yeah, he lived on the mouth of Hell. In any case, there was definitely something up with Buffy. Damned if he could figure out what was wrong. "Any sign of her? She said she was coming."

"No. The band's cool, though."

"Yeah," drawled Xander, "cool." Xander turned around, finally tired of keeping watch over the front door. He looked up at the Asian girls playing up on stage. They were actually pretty good. And they sung about food! Hmm, a nice juicy steak fresh off the grill sure sounded- Buffy!

Buffy strutted into the Bronze, owning the space around her with her sheer presence. The crowd parted unconsciously for her as she walked in. Angel moved out from under the stairs, he stiffened for a moment and snapped his head to the right. He found Xander glaring at him. Damn, the _Boy_ was radiating enough bloodlust to trigger his _other's_ senses. He deliberately tuned away from _him_ and continued toward Buffy. Buffy turned toward him before he reached her.

"Hi," greeted Buffy neutrally.

"Hi," answered Angel automatically, a bit taken aback by her attitude.

Buffy stared at Angel until it became clear that he wasn't going to continue. "So, is there danger at the Bronze?" asked Buffy sarcastically, "Should I beware?"

"I can't help thinking I've done something to make you angry," said Angel, as much to himself as to Buffy. "And that bothers me more than I'd like."

"I'm not angry," denied Buffy immediately, "I don't know where that comes from."

"What are you afraid of? Me? Us?"

"Could you contemplate getting over yourself for a second?" asked Buffy with a scoff, "There's no 'us'. Look, Angel, I'm sorry if I was supposed to spend the summer mooning over you, but I didn't. I moved on," she told him as she looked away and spotted Xander, "to the living." She walked away from Angel and headed for Xander and Willow. Angel stared as she walked away from him taking the scent of sunshine and the warmth of summer with her.

"Hey!" she greeted her two friends while looking directly at Xander.

"Hi," chirped Willow.

"Hey," answered Xander slowly as a smile grew on his face. She walked away from _Deadboy_!

"What's wrong with Angel?" asked Willow. She missed the sour look Xander turned to her briefly at her question.

"Beats me," said Buffy as she shrugged insouciantly. She turned back to Xander and grabbed his shirt. "Let's dance," she said as she pulled him onto the dance floor.

"Ooo-kay," he managed to say as he struggled behind her. He was off balanced by Buffy's actions, both literally and figuratively.

Finding an empty spot on the dance floor, Buffy turned and faced Xander. She stepped in close and raised her hands above her head, swaying her hips enticingly. Xander's eyes tracked the movement of her hips as he stood frozen in front of her. She stepped in close and brushed her hip against his crotch. His sharp inhalation at the brief contact brought a wicked smile to her face.

Then Xander moved. Stepping forward confidently he flowed around Buffy. Gentle grasping her hips he pulled her close and molded her body to his. His fingers crawled along her spine. She felt him taking a deep breath along her hair. He was so _hard_ and _strong_ and _male_.

God she was _soft_, _soft_ and _supple_ and so unbelievably _sexy_. She was making his entire body tingle with her every movement. Her heat was soaking into his body setting off explosions in his stomach. And her _**scent**_, heaven's above her _scent_. Like vanilla and lace and bubble gum lips and feverish whispers wrapped in starlight- grk!

Xander's brain melted as Buffy brought a leg up and wrapped it around his hip. Instinctively his hand reached out to steady her. He felt his entire body pulse as he felt her powerful muscles flex under the smooth flesh of her bare thigh. He stepped forward and leant into her as she arched her back. She dipped nearly parallel to the floor. Her hands pulled Xander's face into her bosom. He nearly began drooling as he felt her breast press into his face.

He was completely unaware as Buffy tilted her head back and caught sight of Angel's glower. He was blissfully ignorant of the malicious smirk that crossed her face as she tilted back up.

His hand, his oh-so-lucky hand ran up the outside of her hip as she straightened, engraving her form into his mind. He stared at her face and concentrated on memorizing every contour in order to keep himself from panting wildly.

Willow could not believe what she was seeing. Of course she didn't have to believe it she knew it was happening because it happened right in front of her face but what she really meant is that she didn't know why Buffy and Xander were practically having sssssssss-_that_ on the dance floor okay she knew why Xander was doing it he was still crushing on Buffy but why was Buffy making a move she knew Willow liked Xander and what is with her and Angel or better yet just her in general because she is **oh my god she was going to kiss Xander-**

"Xander?" asked Buffy huskily. Xander simply swallowed as he was incapable of speech. "Did I ever thank you?" She stroked his face as she tilted her head. "For saving my life?" she asked as she pulled their faces close enough to kiss.

Xander could taste her breath against his lips. It took him a moment to process her questions. "N-no," he choked out.

"Don't you wish I would?" she asked as she firmly pushed him back, breaking their intimate embrace.

Xander stood rooted in place as she strode off the dance floor. He stared at Buffy as she passed by their table to collect her jacket, not even sparing Willow a glance, and deliberately moved past Angel while throwing the vampire a smirk.

What the hell just happened?

What the **fuck** just happened?

Xander spotted the jealous look on Angel's face before Angel turned and stormed off. This was all just for _him_? To make _him_ jealous? Xander's hands curled into fists so tightly that his fingernails cut into his palms. He looked down at his hands that just barely registered pain and saw that they were streaked with blood. He marched into the bathroom and began washing the blood off his hands.

What the **fuck**?

***BTVS***

The next day at school Xander was still recovering from last night. After walking Willow home he went to his bedroom and considered everything. He sat on his bed feeling a deep abiding pain in his chest. Was he just deluding himself all this time? Was there really no connection between them?

His senses were telling him that she was attracted to him or was that simply wishful thinking on his part? It didn't help that his body's autonomous reaction to Willow's femininity was constantly warring with his familial feelings for her.

God damn hormones. Puberty sucks.

"She's possessed!"

Willow's desperate need for rationalization wasn't helping matters either.

"Possessed?" asked Giles as he sat at their table. He was staring at his recently purchased soda as if he could divine its contents from close examination of the can. Xander nudge Giles with his elbow and tilted his chin at the soda. Giles frowned which made Xander smile at him.

"That's the only explanation that makes any sense. I mean, you should've seen her last night. That wasn't Buffy."

"No," said Xander morosely, "that was definitely Buffy."

"But Buffy doesn't act that way! She has to be possessed!"

"Oh! You meant mentally not ph-" Xander blushed as Willow shot him a dark look, "uh, yeah, she's not herself."

"What do you propose is possessing Buffy?"

"A-a-a," drawled Willow as she searched for an idea, "possessing thing!"

"Well, that narrows it down," muttered Giles with a roll of his eyes. Finally taking the plunge he drank from his soda and winced. He turned his sour look on Xander who grinned back unrepentantly at him.

"Well, if we're thinking about possibilities maybe when the Master killed her some," Xander searched for the right word, "mystical bad guy transference thing happened."

"That's what it was! I mean, why else would she be acting like such a b-i-t-c-h?"

"Willow, I think we're all a little too old to be spelling things out."

"A bitca?" asked Xander. When Giles turned a raised brow on him he merely smirked back and nodded toward Willow, who was now giggling slightly.

"Hmm, Yes. I suggest that, uh, the explanation for her behavior may be something more, more mundane." Giles paused as the bell rang and all the students began to make their way to class. "She may simply have what you Americans refer to as issues. Uh, her experience with the Master must have been extremely traumatic. Well, she was, for at least a few minutes, technically dead." Giles did not notice Xander stiffen in his seat and begin to scan the area. "I-I don't think she's dealt with that on a conscious level." Xander finally caught sight of Buffy coming down the hall. "She's convinced herself that she's invulnerable, for the very reason that she feels-"

"That's a very interesting point about trout, you just brought up now," interrupted Xander loudly as Buffy walked up to them.

"Trout?" Giles asked Xander, who motioned with his eyes toward Buffy. "Trout!" Giles gave a start when he finally spotted Buffy. "Yes, trout, i-is a fish. Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock. Master's gone," said Buffy flippantly.

"I'm sorry?" asked Giles, unsure if he had heard her correctly.

"The Master," repeated Buffy more firmly. "I went by his grave last night, and they have a vacancy."

"Good God!" exclaimed Giles. Xander paled slightly as his readings pointed toward the most likely explanation.

"What would somebody want with Master bones?" asked an agitated Willow.

"They're going to bring him back. They're going to bring the Master back to life, and I seem to recall you telling me he was history." Buffy's voice rose slightly until she was practically hissing at Giles.

"Buffy, I-I-I've never heard of a-a revivification ritual being successful," stammered Giles.

"But you've heard of them? Thanks for the warning," she told him scathingly.

"Well, Buffy, Giles did bury him and-"

Buffy interrupted Willow. "Look, this is Slayer stuff, okay?" she told Willow bitingly. "Could we have just a little less from the civilians, please?"

"Okay, that's just about enough!" exclaimed Xander angrily as he stood up. Buffy turned to him in surprise.

"I believe some of us have class?" interrupted Principal Snyder before he turned to Giles, "And some of us have jobs."

"Y-yes, well, I'll, uh, I'll see you all, uh, in the library later. We'll, we'll continue this discussion."

"About trout," added Willow.

***BTVS***

"Alright, alright, I-I-I've got something," announced Giles as he stared at the tome in front of him. "It's Latin, so bear with me." Xander shuddered while Giles scanned part of the page, "Uh, to revive the vampire they need his bones, uh... w-which they have, and, um, the blood... this is very unclear, of the closest person... uh, someone connected to the vampire."

"That'd be me," said Buffy.

"Perhaps," temporized Giles.

"We were close," asserted Buffy. "We killed each other. It really promotes togetherness."

"Well, is there anything on when the ceremony might take- whoa!" Xander dodged to the side as a rock flew in through a window. Buffy caught the rock and took note of the paper wrapped around the rock with a bracelet.

"This is Cordelia's," said Buffy as she removed the bracelet and unfolded the note. "'Come to the bronze before it opens or we make her a meal.'"

"What do we do?" asked a clearly agitated Willow.

Buffy took a slow deep breath. "I go to the Bronze and save the day" she said as she started getting ready to go.

"I don't like this," said Xander with a frown.

"Nor I!" added in Giles.

Buffy spun back around "Yeah? Well, you guys aren't going."

"What do you mean?" asked Willow.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't look after the three of you guys while I'm fighting."

"Excuse me?" interjected Xander darkly, "you sure you don't want to rephrase that?"

"Look, I know you got a boost, but that doesn't make you the Slayer. _I_ need to take care of this," Buffy turned back around to leave when Willow interrupted her.

"Well, what about the rest of the note?"

"What rest of the note?" asked Buffy in confusion.

"The part that says, 'P.S. This is a trap'?" asked Willow exasperatedly. Wasn't that obvious to everyone?

"You'll be playing straight into their hands," said Giles.

"I can handle this," stated Buffy firmly.

"Stop saying that!" exploded Willow, "God, what's wrong with you?"

"Cordelia may be dead. It's almost certainly an ambush. You're going to need backup."

"This is my fight," said Buffy as she turned once more to go.

"Hey!" Buffy ignored Xander's cry and continued toward the doors. "This isn't just your fight, it's mine too. It has been since they took Jesse!" Buffy paused for a moment. "I'm not going to stop just because you don't like it so will you quit the lone wolf crap already?"

Buffy answered him without turning around. "It's chosen _one_ Xander," she said before running out the doors.

"You might have been chosen for the job," muttered Xander, "but I _chose_ this fight."

Giles clapped his hand onto Xander's shoulder. "Come on Xander, she'll be alright. We need to finish our research so we can all be prepared."

"Yeah," drawled Xander, "sure thing Giles."

An hour later Xander was ready to smash his head into the table.

"I still think we should've gone with her," stated Willow emphatically.

Xander sighed as his thoughts centered once more on the beautiful blonde slayer. "You heard her, she doesn't need our help."

"Xander, you know it's a trap!"

"Ah!" exclaimed Giles making both teens turn to him. "Ah, ah, ah! Uh, uh, the Latin is, is translated from the Sumerian, a-a-and rather badly." There was a hint of triumph in his voice. "Closest to the Master actually translates as 'nearest'. Physically." With Willow and Giles both focused on the text they both missed Xander's head snapping up from his own book. "The, the, the person or persons-" Xander stood up suddenly, sending his chair sprawling from the speed and force of his movement. Willow and Giles turned to look at him when they both spotted the group of vampires looking down at them from the second level of the library. "The persons who were with him when he died," continued Giles in a near whisper. "Good lord, it is a trap. It just isn't for her."

"Some trap," said Xander with a scoff. He drew incredulous stares from Willow and Giles as well as some of the vampires. "The little kid sends five vampires to try and round us up? When I took out over forty vampires the night we killed the Master?" Some of the vampires snarled at his words. Xander laced his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. "Alright then leeches, who's first?"

One of the vampires leapt at Xander from the second level. Xander caught the vampire in midair and brought him down on his knee, breaking the vampire's back. Letting go of the vampire's legs, Xander pulled a stake from his pocket and drove it into the vampire's heart. Another vampire moved to attack but one of the other's put a restraining hand on its shoulder.

"He is not for us. Grab the other two. Snrash will take care of _him_."

"Who the hell is Snrash?" asked Xander with a sneer. At the sound of smashing glass Xander spun around and then dived to the side. A boulder smashed the ground where Xander was standing at.

"Xander!" yelled Willow before squeaking as the boulder seemed to unfold into a humanoid figure with two large wings.

"Bloody hell, a gargoyle," cursed Giles.

"Ok-ok-ok, big stone thing, wings," Xander said to himself as he stood up to face the gargoyle before he nodded to himself. "Xander smash." Charging at the stone demon, Xander leapt and kicked it high on the chest. The gargoyle stumbled back from the blow and used its wings to help keep it upright. Xander rushed in hit to the gargoyle in the face with two hooks. He backed off with a wince. "Ow," he said as he stared at his throbbing hands and bloody knuckles. "Alright, punching stone bad." He looked up in time to catch sight of the fist that knocked him off his feet and sent him flying over by the library's book cage. Xander coughed as his tenderized lungs burned when he tried to breathe. "Uh, stone punches even worse."

Willow screamed as she watched Xander go flying. She screamed again as a vampire toppled a bookcase against Giles. She turned to run when a vampire grabbed her around the waist.

Xander rose to his feet as the gargoyle stopped over to him. Pulling the book cage door open he reached in and pulled out his trusty hammer. "Alright you overgrown stone quarry. Let's rock!" Xander met the gargoyle's charge with an overhead smash. The gargoyle dodged to the side with a nimbleness that belied its massive size. Xander spun and brought his hammer around in a horizontal swing. His weapon was stopped by the gargoyle who then punched Xander in the face, breaking his nose. Xander crumpled to the ground, his hammer still clutched tightly in his right hand.

A wet cloth was held over Willow's mouth, muffling her cries and eventually stilling her struggles. Giles was pulled out from under the bookcase and the vampires made their escape through the rear exit of the library.

The gargoyle advanced on the fleshy meat sack. Snrash had not had a good meal in quite some time. Normally his food just screamed and ran. It hardly ever fought back enough to whet his appetite. This meat sack though, this one was tough! It would taste so good once he ate him! Now to pick him up off the floor and tenderize him some more!

The gargoyle screamed in a pain with a sound like two rocks being scratched against each other. It cradled the rough stump of its forearm against itself trying to stem the flow of oil-like blood from its wound.

Xander propped himself up with his hammer, trying to stop his head from ringing. He found himself face to face with the gargoyle as it caught him in a bear hug. He struggled to break free as the gargoyle leapt into the air. Xander was stunned when the gargoyle charged through three bookcases and the rear doors. When he recovered he could only stare at the library building as it rushed passed them.

Down in the library a frantic Buffy ran in to find the room in chaos.

Xander started panicking when the gargoyle began climbing even higher than the school roof. He struggled but couldn't master any leverage against the gargoyle's grip. The gargoyle grinned at him and opened its mouth wide, exposing a gaping maw filled with teeth. Xander breathed in as deeply as he could and roared directly into the gargoyle's mouth.

Buffy clapped her hands over her ears as a roar reverberated through her body.

The gargoyle let him go and clasped his hand and his stump to his head. Xander grabbed the gargoyle by the shoulder and pulled himself onto its back. Riding the gargoyle like his skateboard, Xander wrapped his arms around one of the wings and yanked as he stomped on the joint. The wing suddenly broke off. The gargoyle began falling like the stone it resembled. Xander held onto the gargoyle and tried to keep it between him and the ground. The bulk of their mass struck the side of the skylight opening, their force easily breaking through the layer of concrete.

Buffy let out a yell as a mass fell through the roof. Her slayer reflexes and senses allowed her to see Xander kick something away from him in time to crash through the research table. The thing he kicked smashed through the stairs that led up to the second level of the library.

Xander struggled to his feet and looked around wildly for a moment before he spotted his hammer a few feet away. He stumbled forward and hefted the hammer onto his shoulder. He almost fell under its weight. Gods he was so weak! Stumbling through the mass that was once the research table he missed Buffy staring at him.

Buffy watched as a bloody and woozy Xander struggled over to the downed demon, braced his footing and smashed the demon in what she assumed was its head, if the way it went still afterward was any indication.

Xander let his hammer fall and stumbled around to scan the library. "Buffy? Wheh ah Willow ad," Xander held his head a moment as he winced, "ad Giles, wheh ah dhey?"

"There's no one else here Xander. Are you alright?"

"**Noh! I ahm nohd fuh-ing alrighd!**" Buffy reared back as if struck from Xander's volume and vehemence. Xander held his head for a moment before snorting and spitting up a startling amount of blood. "Fuh-ing dhing broh my nohse!" cursed Xander as he made a rude gesture toward the gargoyle. With a grimace Xander gripped his nose in his hands and twisted. There was an awful squelching crack that made Buffy flinch. Xander grunted then exhaled sharply through his nose, spraying blood over the floor and himself.

"Can you not do that!" asked Buffy, thoroughly disgusted with the scene.

"I can't smell anything but blood," explained Xander. His voice still carried the telltale tone of nasal congestion. "I can't track anything until my nose heals up."

"What happened?"

"Vampires came and took Willow and Giles."

"And you just let them!"

"I didn't fucking let anyone do anything, alright! I had to fight off fucking Rocky here without any backup because, oh yeah, someone could handle all this by themselves."

Buffy turned away from Xander, unable to bear his accusatory glare. "We, we just have to think. Where would they have taken them?"

"If they hurt Willow I'll **kill** you." Buffy spun around to find Xander within arm's length of her. The slayer spirit in her tensed her body. Xander was most definitely a threat and there was no hint of exaggeration in his demeanor. Buffy swallowed nervously as she stepped back.

"Why, uh, why did they take them and not you?"

Xander stared at Buffy a moment longer before turning around and heading for his hammer. "Giles found out that they needed the people closest to the Master when he died. _Physically_ close," he added. "That's Giles and Willow, Cordelia and uh..."

"Miss Calendar."

Xander nodded as he hefted his hammer once more before pulling a pouch out of his fallen backpack. "Odds are they've got a complete set by now."

"What is that?" asked Buffy as Xander threaded his belt through the loops of the pouch.

"Tools," answered Xander mysteriously as he buckled his belt. "My nose won't fully heal for a few hours. It may be too late by then. How do we find them?"

"I know how."

***BTVS***

"Alright, one more time, where are they?" Buffy stood over the vampire she had just thrown to the floor. The only vampire present when she had been lured out to the Bronze, Buffy had tied her hands behind her back and left her under Angel's watch. Now she was their best source of information for finding the others. The trick was to make her talk.

"I'm not supposed to te-ell," sang the vampire before giggling.

Buffy yanked the vampire back to her feet. "Tell me where they are!"

"What are you going to do?" asked the vampire as she laughed, "kill me?"

"Alright, I've had enough of this crap." Buffy turned to Xander as he walked over and ripped the vampire out of her hands. Tossing the female against one of the support columns, Xander grabbed one of the dazed vampire's feet, held the foot up high so she was dangling a foot above the floor, then jammed a knife through her ankle and into the support column. The vampire screamed. Xander kicked her in the face to daze her then pulled out another knife from his strange pouch and staked her other foot to a different face of the support column. She screamed again.

Xander slapped the vampire in the face to get her attention. "Hey, listen," he said softly, "you _are_ going to die. And before you die you _will_ tell me where I can find my friends. The only question is how much pain you're going to go through before I _let_ you embrace death."

The vampire began giggling. Xander reached into his pouch and pulled out a metal vial. Unscrewing the top he splashed the water inside the vial onto the vampire's face. She began screaming again as her skin smoked on contact with holy water.

"Where are my friends?" asked Xander calmly once the vampire stopped screaming uncontrollably.

"It's too late. Your friends are already dead." Xander walked over to his sledgehammer. Without speaking to anyone he proceeded to smash both the vampire's knees. He waited, crouched down next to the vampire's face while she screamed.

Once she stopped he calmly asked again, "where are my friends?" When it became clear that the vampire would not speak Xander kicked her in the stomach, making the vampire reflexively gasp for breath. While she recovered, Xander unbuttoned her leather pants and pulled them up.

"Xander?" questioned Buffy, uncertain as to Xander's intentions.

"Ooh, kinky, just how I like my meals," blustered the vampire as she tried to recover her breath. Xander turned to Buffy with a blank expression that terrified her on a visceral level.

"Don't worry, she'll talk."

"Oh, what are you going to do n-aah!" the vampire **screamed** at the top of her lungs. Xander had upended another vial of holy water between her legs. She screamed for several minutes without stopping. Xander waited until she paused then dangled three more vials between his fingers in front of her face.

"Where are my friends?"

"Warehouse!" yelled out the vampire, "corner of George and State!"

Xander quickly stabbed her through the heart with a stake pulled from his jacket pocket. He placed the stake back in his pocket and retrieved his two knives. "Alright, we have our location. Let's go."

"Damn Xander. That was a bit over the top, don't you think?"

Angel scoffed at Buffy's question. "At least he didn't jump straight into cutting body parts off this time."

"When did you do that?"

"On the way to find you. Questioned a vampire onto how to get to the Master's lair." Xander sneered at Angel. "Be glad I asked _you_ nicely, _Deadboy_."

"You _threw_ me into a _wall_," snarled Angel.

"That was me asking a vamp nicely," explained Xander.

"Not now you two. We have to get to that warehouse."

***BTVS***

Buffy, Xander and Angel crept into the warehouse. They watched as Willow, Cordelia, Giles and Jenny were pulled into position, upside down over the Master's remains, by the warehouse's pulley system.

"Buffy." Buffy stared at the four people she had put into danger as the vampires gathered around the Master's remains. "Buffy!" whispered Xander harshly, finally drawing her attention. "We have to do something **now**."

"You two get the others out of here."

"We need you to distract the vampires," said Angel.

"Right."

"What are you going to do?" asked Xander.

"I'm going to kill them all," she answered him seriously before she turned toward the vampires. "That ought to distract them."

A black vampire stood next to the Anointed One, who handed him a box. The black vampire opened the box and withdrew a ceremonial dagger. He turned to the circle of vampires in front of him.

"Behold, these four mortals," he began loudly, "Witnesses to our Master's wretched demise. They will breathe their last this night. The blood that pours from their throats will bring _new life_ to the old one. We gather for his resurrection, for the dawn of this new hell, for the old one, for his pain, for the dark."

"For the dark" chanted the other vampires. One of them burst into dust before he could finish revealing Buffy standing behind him. The vampires all stared at her in disbelief before the black vampire roared, signaling the others to attack. Buffy kicked one vampire before grabbing another in a headlock. She spun, dragging the vampire with her, before tossing her into a third vampire that was trying to rush her from behind.

As all the vampires began to close in on Buffy, Angel and Xander made their way up to the second level of the warehouse. Once there they pulled on a chain that carried the four would-be sacrifices over toward them.

In the chaos of the fight no one noticed the black vampire usher the anointed one out of the warehouse. The black vampire made his presence known upon his return, however.

"The sacrifices!" he yelled out, "Stop them!"

One of the vampires rushed up to the second platform to stop Angel and Xander. Xander let go of the chain as Angel moved over to get their friends down. Stepping toward the vampire he recognized as the leader of the kidnappers, Xander grinned.

"You!" cried out the vampire in disbelief.

"Me," said Xander with a predatory grin before he rushed forward with a swing of his hammer.

Buffy was busy with one of the burlier vampires. While the others fell rather quickly, this one was proving troublesome. She did not notice as the black vampire made his way to a supply closet. He never made it, however, as a vampire crashed down in front of him. He recognized the vampire as the one he had sent to capture the last two sacrifices. Xander landed on the vampire with a loud thud, his hammer transiting through the space the vampire's head had been occupying.

"The Animal," snarled the black Vampire.

"I prefer the Hunter, actually," said Xander as he brandished his hammer. "Where's the Anointed One?"

"The Master will rise again and bring us all to glory!"

"That just means we get to kill him. Again."

The vampire growled before he leapt at Xander. Xander almost yawned at the predictable attack before he smashed the vampire into the ground. "Should've hired another gargoyle, brother," he told the vampire as it burst into ashes. Xander looked up as Buffy staked the last vampire.

"It's over!" cried out Willow. Xander looked back to Buffy, who was staring at the remains of the Master.

"No," Xander shook his head as he walked toward Buffy, "it's not." Buffy started when Xander held his hammer out toward her. She looked at him blankly for a moment before he tilted his head toward the Master's bones. She grasped his hammer and stared at the remains for a moment before she walked forward and brought the sledgehammer onto the Master's skull, shattering it into pieces.

Giles, Jenny and Angel walk toward the railing as Buffy continued smashing the Master's remains. Once there were no more bones left Buffy dropped the sledgehammer and began sobbing. Xander pulled her to him and hugged her.

"It's okay, it's done. He's gone for good now, Buffy. You beat him. _You_ beat _him_."

"He killed me!" wailed Buffy.

"S'okay. I'll just find you and bring you back." Buffy hugged him tighter as she continued crying.

***BTVS***

"Still can't sleep?" questioned Giles. Xander shrugged as he slouched on the living room couch and stared at the pile of books in front of him. Giles considered the young man in front of him for a moment before he sat down next to him. "You know, I have to say, I am very impressed with your victory over the gargoyle. I don't know how the Anointed One managed to get one as his thrall but that battle could not have been easy."

"Roughed me up a bit," muttered Xander before he turned to Giles with a grin, "Hammer beats rock, though."

"That's, that's good to know. So what's really bothering you?"

Xander sighed. "I don't really…"

"Go on Xander."

"It's Buffy," said Xander as he crossed his arms and turned away to hide his blush.

"Ah," Giles pulled off his glasses and began polishing them with the hem of his shirt. "So what is it about our Miss Summers that vexes you?"

"I don't know what to feel about her. I feel hurt and angry at her using me." Xander blushed very brightly for a moment before he continued. "I also feel a bit ashamed that the same event now features very strongly in my fantasies," he said softly.

Giles coughed and said, "yes, well, I suppose that can't be helped. You must understand what it was like for her-"

"That just makes things worse!" exclaimed Xander as he suddenly stood up and began pacing. "I totally get it! I mean, I'd be off-kilter too if I'd almost died. If I _did_ in fact die and was brought back to life. I'm angry at her and I don't want to be, I'm still madly," Xander stopped and brushed back his hair in frustration, "I just don't know how to feel about any of it!"

"Well, Xander, emotion is one of the most wonderful and terrible things about being human. You can't help, really, how you feel. You can, however, choose how you deal with those emotions."

Xander turned a pleading face to Giles. "So what do I do?"

"Uh, in your, uh, heart, Xander, how do you, how do you truly feel, about Buffy?"

"I don't know," said Xander morosely.

"Well then, you have to figure that out first. Then you'll know what to do. What about her actions?"

"I, I," Xander took a deep breath, "I just want things to go back to how they were before, when we were all good friends."

"I think you'll get your chance Xander. Everyone makes mistakes. It's all part of growing up."

"Maybe you're right."

Giles was right, as it turned out.

Xander sensed her before she even entered the classroom. Always she seemed to be calling to him, pulling at his attention all the time. He noticed Willow look up but didn't turn with her.

"Hey, Buffy!" greeted Willow.

"Hey."

He heard every step she took, felt her every breath.

"We saved you a seat," Xander forced his swirling emotions down and turned a smile onto Buffy as she sat down.

"How are you feeling?" Xander seemed surprised that he had asked, intending to lead off with a joke about how boring Mr. Cox was.

"Uh, better. No more nightmares."

"Cool. So, we, uh, Bronzing it tonight?"

"Wednesday, it's kind of beat," said Willow.

"Well," and Xander smirked now, "we could triturate our enemies but, gosh, we did that last night." Buffy stared at Xander in disbelief for a moment before she noticed both Willow and Xander giving her encouraging smiles. She smiled back at them, grateful for their forgiveness and acceptance. They were friends once more. No apologies were needed between them. It was good. A new day had dawned in Sunnydale.

Meanwhile, the Anointed One stewed in his anger at the Slayer and her pets. She would rue the day she crossed him. He would make her pay. Oh, yes, she would pay.


	8. School Days

**Chapter 8 – School Days**

How the hell did they end up here again? Oh, _right_, Chris had to Frankenstein his brother Daryl after he died and then he needed to create the Bride of Frankenstein in order to have the full set.

_God_, when did his life become a series of horror movies? Oh, right, Hellmouth and all that Jazz.

"C'mon! C'mon! Get it off!" screamed Cordelia at Xander as he fumbled with the buckles on the stretcher.

"Okay, brace yourself," commanded Xander as he took hold of the strap and broke it apart, taking care not to injure Cordelia in the process. After breaking the other three straps, Xander helped Cordelia stand up, only to realize they were now enclosed in a circle of flame.

"Great! Now what do we do?" whined Cordelia.

Xander grimaced at having to pull Cordelia-duty. He looked past the flames to see Buffy engaged in combat with Daryl, who seemed to have gotten the full Frankenstein treatment if the freaky strength he was using against Buffy was any indication.

"Don't freak out, okay?"

"Why? What are you going to- ah!" Cordelia screamed as Xander slung her over his shoulder. Taken a running step he leapt over the flames and landed near the entrance, nearly colliding with Willow and Giles as they pulled Chris' accomplice, Eric, out of the room. Setting Cordelia down, she immediately collapsed to her knees. "Oh my god, oh my god, ohmigod!"

Ignoring Cordelia's breakdown, Xander turned around in time to watch Buffy get bodyslammed to the ground. Daryl grabbed a nearby desk and prepared to impale Buffy with it. Xander rushed forward and kicked Daryl as hard as he could in the small of his back. A loud crack could be heard as Daryl flew forward to collide with the stretcher holding the pieces of his bride-to-be.

"Daryl!" screamed Chris.

"No. We'll be together always. No! Mine!" yelled Daryl as he crawled over to the stitched together corpse of the recently dead girls. He lay over her as the flames consumed them both.

Xander helped Buffy stand up then guided her out of the room. He snagged Chris around the waist, keeping the grieving boy from running into the flames that were quickly overtaking the room.

Outside a while later, the group was being tended to by firefighters as they worked to extinguish the fire that burned through most of the abandoned science building. Xander left the uninjured Willow in the firefighter's hands and walked over to where Buffy and Chris were talking.

"The first time he woke up after..." Chris trailed off, not wanting to talk about everything. "He said I shouldn't have brought him back. I-I was just, trying to look out for him. Like he would have done for me."

Xander suppressed a growl as Angel showed up. "I saw the fire. I figured you'd be here. Is everyone okay?" he asked Buffy.

"Yeah. We're okay," answered Buffy.

"_All_ of us," interjected Xander, "just in case you were wondering."

Buffy glanced between Angel and Xander as they glared at each other. The moment brought back memories of the night all these events began.

_Buffy had been waiting for Stephan Korshak to rise when she was startled by Angel's unexpected arrival._

"_I heard you were on the hunt," said Angel._

"_I'm supposed to be, but," she gestured to the recent grave, "lazy bones here doesn't want to come out and play."_

_Tentatively Angel said "when you first wake up it's a little disorienting. He'll show."_

"_It's weird to think of you going through that."_

"_It's weird to go through." Angel scanned around the graveyard for a moment. "So, uh, you're here alone?"_

"_Yeah," drawled Buffy before asking, "Why?"_

"_I just thought you'd have somebody with you," said Angel with a shrug. "Xander or someone," he added casually._

_Buffy immediately homed in on "Xander."_

"_Or someone," added Angel defensively._

"_He's handling patrol while I'm stuck here." Buffy hopped off the gravestone and stepped closer to Angel, a sly smile on her face. "Why? Are you jealous?"_

_Angel chuckled, though it seemed a bit forced. "Of Xander? Please. He's just a kid."_

"_Is it 'cause I danced with him?" asked Buffy pointedly._

_Angel grimaced for a brief moment before he retorted. "'Danced with' is a pretty loose term. 'Mated with' might be a little closer."_

_Buffy blushed as she remembered the feel of Xander's body against hers. "Don't you think you're being a little unfair?" she countered. "It was one little dance, which I _only_ did to make you crazy, by the way." She gestured toward Angel. "Behold my success."_

"_I am __**not**__ jealous," stated Angel._

"_You're not jealous?" asked Buffy in disbelief. "What, vampires don't get jealous?"_

"_See? Whenever we fight you always bring up the vampire thing._

"_Well, I didn't come here to fight."_

They'd had a scuffle with the fledgling which was quickly staked afterward. In the process of continuing their fight Buffy had fallen into an open grave and had discovered their first clue in Chris' macabre experiment.

However, the whole fight had led to her considering her relationship with the two prominent males in her life. Angel was a hunk and oh-so-sexy. Xander was, god, she didn't know what Xander was. She'd hammered down any tingly feelings that he'd given her out of deference for Willow's crush. Ever since he'd been possessed though, he'd grown into being a real stud. His courage and determination had increased tremendously. _Although_, at times he still acted like the teenage boy he was. And he was giving her tingly feelings **way** more often now.

Buffy looked over Xander's shoulder and spotted Willow watching them carefully.

"_Because you did that sexy dance with him?" asked Willow._

"_Am I ever gonna live that down?"_

"_No."_

There wasn't really an option then. Or was there an option? Buffy bit her lip as Xander and Angel continued glaring at each other. Xander broke first.

"You're really okay, Buffy? Daryl put up a good fight."

"Until you broke his back with that kick," she said with a smile.

Xander shrugged and ducked his head to hide his blush. "Hey, gotta keep my girl safe y'know." He tossed one last glare at Angel before turning away. "I'm going to go check and Giles and Ms. Calendar," he muttered before he walked away.

Buffy watched him walk away before turning back to Angel and caught him glaring at Xander's back. He was jealous! That was good. Wasn't it?

"Sorry about all this," said Giles as he handed Jenny a cup of coffee.

"It's okay," she said as she took the cup from him. "Although a good rule of thumb for a first date is don't do anything so exciting that it'll be hard to top on the second date," she said with a smile.

"Believe it or not, since I've moved here to live on top of the Hellmouth, the events of this evening actually qualify as a slow night," he said with a small smile before frowning for a moment. "Did you just say 'second date'?" he asked hopefully.

"You noticed that, huh?" asked Jenny with a smirk.

"So," said Xander as he stepped into the conversation, "how are my two favorite adults doing?"

"Um, we're, we're alright Xander. No injuries here. How was Buffy?"

Xander turned a sorrowful look at where Buffy and Angel were talking before he answered Giles. "She's fine, didn't get hurt really."

Giles looked pityingly at his charge. It seemed he did not have the same luck with love.

"_W-w-w-what I'm proposing is, um... and I-I don't mean to appear indecorous, is, is, um, a, a-a-a social engagement, um, a, a, a, a-a date, if you're amenable." Really? Is this the best he could do? Stammer and ramble like a school boy? "You Idiot!" Giles cursed himself._

"_Boy," Giles jumped and spun around as he heard Buffy begin to speak. How much had they heard? "I guess we never realized how much you like that chair."_

" _I-I-I was just working on…" his mind scrambled for an excuse when it found one close at hand. The Books. Unfortunately his nervousness got the better of him as he knocked the stack of books off the table instead of picking one up._

"_Your pickup lines?" supplied Buffy._

"_Um, in a manner of speaking, yes," he replied as he picked the books up off the floor. _

"_Then if you wouldn't mind a little Gene and Roger, you might want to leave off the 'idiot' part. Being called an idiot tends to take people out of the dating mood."_

"_Yeah, insults are only really attractive in weird love-hate relationships," added Xander._

"_You also might want to avoid words like 'amenable' and 'indecorous', y'know. Speak English, not whatever they speak in, um..."_

"_England?" hazarded Giles sarcastically._

" _Yeah. You just say, 'Hey, I got a thing, you maybe have a thing, maybe we could have a thing.'"_

_American mangling of the Queen's English once again left Giles utterly amazed. "Oh, thank you, Cyrano," he muttered sarcastically._

"_I'm not finished. Then you say, 'How do you feel about Mexican?'"_

"_About Mexicans?" asked a now completely confused Giles._

"_Mexi_can_," stressed Buffy. "Food," she added when Giles didn't get it. "You take her for food, for which you then pay."_

"_Oh. Right," muttered Giles._

"_Okay, look Giles, this is all you have to do. You walk up to Miss Calendar-" began Xander._

"_H-h-how do you know that it's Jen- um, Miss Calendar?" asked Giles when he noticed Buffy's complete lack of surprise. Xander merely smirked at him._

"_Well, she is the only woman we've ever seen talk to you. Plus she is the prettiest teacher here. And you stammer even worse when she's around. All that pretty much spells 'duh'," explained Buffy with a smirk. She turned to face Xander when he took hold of her hands._

"_So, you walk up to Miss Calendar, get her attention, and say," Xander took a deep breath with his eyes closed. He opened them and turned an intense and open gaze on Buffy. "God, you're beautiful. I think about you all the time. I know you're coming before you even step into the room. And when you're there I can't help but follow every move you make. You are the light that brightens every moment I spend with you. And if I don't take this chance I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life. But most of all, I can't resist _you_. Will you make me the happiest man alive and let me take you to dinner?"_

_Giles stared at Xander and Buffy. It was almost painfully obvious that Xander had not intended these words as advice. He meant every word he said. It seemed that Buffy was also caught up in the spell of the moment. Giles felt happiness blossom in his heart for the boy he was increasingly looking upon as a son. Then Buffy suddenly pulled away from Xander._

"_That'll work great, you should do that!" she said to Giles, seemingly unaffected by the moment Xander's words had crafted. Buffy missed the despondent look that Xander wore on his face for the briefest of moments. Giles saw it though._

"_Um, yes, that was, that was very beautiful Xander."_

"_Thanks," muttered Xander as he started rifling through his backpack._

"_Yeah, that was really great. How'd you come up with it?"_

"_I think I read it somewhere," said Xander as he continued searching his backpack._

"_Uh, Xander, I have some more books for you to study in my office-"_

"_And that's my cue to skedaddle!" said Buffy as she hurriedly grabbed her things and rushed out of the library. Giles and Xander stood still as the doors slowly swung back and forth until they closed completely. Giles opened his mouth to speak when Xander grabbed his backpack and flung it at the floor as hard as he could. Giles flinched as Xander stood rigidly in place, clenching his fists. He was so rigid he was actually vibrating slightly._

"_Xander-"_

"_Don't," snapped Xander hoarsely. "Just… don't. I don't know why I was expecting anything to happen. We were just giving you some simple advice, after all."_

"_Xander-"_

"_Don't. _Please_. I don't think I could take it right now." Xander stood there for a long moment when he suddenly seemed to deflate. He mechanically picked up his backpack, repacking some materials that had spilled out. "Did you really have some books for me to study?"_

"_No."_

_Xander nodded and was quiet again. He stood there for another moment before he spoke two words that Giles almost didn't catch. "Thank you." He quickly turned and headed out the library._

_Giles pulled his glasses off his face and began polishing them. Giles noted that after Buffy turned away from him, Xander had not raised his head again._

"Are you alright Xander?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Didn't even get singed jumping over the fire."

"Well, once again you've been a tremendous help in saving the day. I'm not sure how we'd get on without your help."

Xander blushed before he shrugged sheepishly. "I try," he muttered.

"Well, keep trying Xander. You're doing well so far."

"Thanks Miss Calendar. I'm going to go check on Willow." Xander walked off toward Willow when he was waylaid by Cordelia before he reached his red-headed friend.

"He seemed kind of down for someone that just saved the day," observed Jenny.

"Well, unlike most heroic tales, it seems that this hero does **not** get the girl," said Giles as he looked over to where Buffy was laughing with Angel.

"Um, well," began Jenny, "is there something wrong with Xander?"

"No, not as far as I can tell. He's a teenage boy, yes, but he's incredibly brave and forthright. Protective without being condescending. He's funny, or so I've been told. And loyal."

"You make him sound perfect."

"I could enumerate any number of faults that he has but, honestly, he'll grow out of all of them. He's already grown out of some. He's become much more mature since the incident at the zoo."

"Yeah, I've seen that in class. So, he's crushing on Buffy?"

"Actually, I'm fairly certain it's something more than that."

Jenny cocked an elegant eyebrow at Giles. "Really?"

"Hmm, yes. He's had some trouble with the, the, the instincts he inherited from the primal possession but they've mainly served t-t-to reaffirm his own feelings. You remember what happened the night Buffy faced the Master. He told me later that he forced Angel to take him to the Master's lair and tortured a vampire for information on the way there. He picked a fight with one of the most dangerous master vampires alive in order to confront that vampire's sire. All for her."

"And she only has eyes for Angel," said Jenny. Giles was so intent on observing Buffy and Angel that he missed the frown on Jenny's face.

"I really don't understand why. Perhaps you could enlighten me?"

"Hmm, _maybe_," drawled Jenny, "if you ask _real_ nice."

"Perhaps we could discuss it sometime after dinner tomorrow. Say, around seven, um, ish?" asked Giles with a small roguish smile on his face.

Jenny turned a beautiful full-on grin on the librarian. "Sounds like a date."

"Xander? I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. What you did in there was really brave and heroic, and I just wanted to tell you if there was anything that I could ever do to repay you, just ask. Unless it involves interacting with you at school where people can see or it'll hurt my reputation in some way."

"I am overwhelmed by your gratitude," drawled Xander before he titled his head thoughtfully. "Uh, actually," he stopped and shook his head. "I must be insane for even thinking this," he muttered to himself, though Cordelia caught it.

"What?"

"Well," he strung out the word trying to decide if he should go through with it or not. What the hell, it can't really hurt. "I was actually wondering if you could help me out," he said slowly, still not entirely sure about this course of action.

"What do you need?" asked Cordelia warily.

"A new wardrobe," blurted out Xander.

"You want me to buy you a new wardrobe?" asked Cordelia incredulously.

"Ah, no, I'll pay for it. I have money. I just need you to give me some advice on what to buy," he said then added, "and what it is and how to wear it."

"Oh! Well, you really do need a makeover," said Cordelia as she appraised him.

"I like the way I look Cordy," said Xander as he gestured toward his face and hair. "I just want your help in picking out clothes that will complement that. And help develop my style a bit more."

"Your style?" scoffed Cordelia, "and what would that be?"

"Demon hunter and general badass," said Xander with a completely straight face.

Cordelia was set to begin laughing at him when his entire demeanor shifted. There was no real change in his expression but he seemed to stand a little taller and his presence was palpable. Maybe this had a real possibility?

"What kind of stuff did you have in mind?"

"I need anything I wear to be durable. I never know _when _I might get into a fight with a Deadite. I have to be prepared. That's the challenge for you. That and coping with my almost total ignorance of fashion. But that's my hard limit: I have to be able to move and fight in it."

"Everything?"

"Yes, even suits."

Cordelia raised both brows at this. "You were thinking of buying suits?"

"Just a few, like two or three."

"Hmm," Cordelia contemplated that limit. It would certainly pose a challenge but wasn't insurmountable. "Any other conditions?"

"I have to like how I look in it."

"I've seen the stuff you wear-"

"That was before. This is now," interrupted Xander. "It's not a hard limit, either. If you agree to still be your brutally honest self and tell me I look good in something I don't initially like, I'll give it serious consideration. But if I _completely_ hate how I look in it, it's a no-go. Unless you _really_ do a good job convincing me otherwise."

"So hard limit functional, soft limit you like?" clarified Cordelia.

"A-yup. What do you say?"

"When and where?"

"You decide the where for this Saturday."

"Really, you'll let me decide where to shop?"

Xander seemed to reconsider this for a moment. "I'm not paying more than twenty bucks for an everyday shirt. I have _some_ money but I'm not _loaded_, you get me?"

"Middle class then," groused Cordelia.

Xander tilted his head side to side. "Upper middle class looking to move up."

"Oh, that's actually a lot better. I can do that."

"I really hope I don't regret this, but I'll trust you, okay?"

"You don't think I'll do a crappy job, do you? And betray fashion that way?" asked an affronted Cordelia.

"If you do I'll make absolutely sure everyone knows that you chose everything I wear." Cordelia made a strangling sound as Xander tugged on his current shirt. It wasn't awful per se, just uninspired. The threat of him returning to his eye-bleeding loud shirts was implicit. "I knew we could come to terms. See you Saturday Cordy," said Xander as he walked over to Willow.

"Okay, I have _a lot_ of research to do," said Cordelia to herself.

"What was that with Cordelia?" asked Willow suspiciously.

Xander glanced back at Cordelia who was now muttering to herself and counting off points on her fingers. "That was me probably condemning myself to several hours of torture."

"What?"

"I asked her to help me shop for clothes."

"Oh," said Willow in understanding. She then scrunched up her face in confusion and asked, "Why?"

"She just offered her help as a thank you for saving her life. I decided to take her up on it since I was already planning to invest in a new wardrobe."

"I can understand that, except, well, why do you need _her_ for that?"

Xander shrugged. "I don't know what came over me really. I was just going to go with bulk t-shirts but…" Xander shrugged again. "I guess I thought if I was investing in a new wardrobe I should try and make it look good." He glanced back toward Cordelia but she had already left. "I just hope I haven't made a huge mistake."

***BTVS***

"I've made a huge mistake."

"Damn it Xander, stop fidgeting!"

"Cordelia-"

"It looks good on you, I swear! Now stand up straight! You can't slouch in that shirt Dweeb!"

"Cordelia-"

"You said you would keep an open mind!"

"**Cordelia**."

"Ugh, what?"

"I do look good in this-"

"See, I told y-"

"I also look like a clichéd romance novel cover. This is not **me**, Cordelia. I'm just not a ruffles kind of guy," said Xander firmly before glancing down at the shirt again. "Although, maybe I am silk shirt half-way unbuttoned guy," muttered Xander to himself.

"Okay, we'll try that look. Are you sure you don't like the ruffles-"

"**Yes I am sure**."

***BTVS***

Cordelia tilted her head from side to side and walked around her subject, trying to see it from every angle. Ultimately, she was forced to concede, "that _does_ look good on you."

"Told you. Now _this_ is totally me."

"It is surprisingly undweeb-like for you. I was expecting to have to pry you away from the Hawaiian shirts."

"Oh no, this is a lot better," said Xander as he admired the tight black t-shirt and jeans he was wearing. A pair of black leather boots completed the ensemble.

"Xander?" squeaked a very familiar voice.

"Willow? Hey, what do you think?" asked Xander as he stood in front of her with his arms spread. Willow squeaked again.

Cordelia smirked and pulled Xander back toward a shirt rack. "She thinks you look good too."

"Really?" asked Xander as he looked over at a speechless Willow.

"Trust me."

***BTVS***

"Ohmigod! _Xander!_?"

"Oh my…"

"Hey! Buffy and her lovely sister! How are you two beautiful ladies doing today?"

"Oh Xander, flattery will get you everywhere," said Joyce huskily as she brushed a finger down the front of Xander's form-fitting light blue polo shirt. She grinned when Xander blushed spectacularly, not having expected her to flirt back. She laughed when Buffy made an outraged choking sound.

"_**Mom!**_"

"Oh relax dear. I wouldn't dream of poaching from your dating pool." Honestly, Xander was totally a hunk and a very nice young man. Why couldn't Buffy date someone like him instead of sniffing around that Angel character? Like hell he was just her History tutor!

"I'd love to have you as my Mrs. Robinson," Xander gamely tried to rally despite the furious blush still on his face.

Joyce chuckled appreciatively at his attempt to put her off-balance. It was a nice fantasy, but, "Buffy would never forgive me if I took you off the market."

"_**Mom!**_"

"See?"

"I think she's more concerned with your relationship to her than she is with mine," replied Xander. He tried to hide the wistfulness in his voice but Joyce caught the look he briefly sent Buffy's way.

"Yes, there will be no more flirting with my mother," said Buffy firmly.

"Yes, Buffy," replied Xander dutifully.

"Xander, where did you get off to- oh! Hello," said Cordelia, beaming her best smile.

"Hi, I'm Joyce, Buffy's mother."

"Really? Oh, it's so good to meet you, I'm Cordelia Chase," she greeted with a small curtsey.

"Ah," said Joyce as she shot her daughter a look, "I've heard a lot about you."

"All good things I'm sure," said Cordelia confidently. Joyce hummed noncommittally.

"So, Xander, you're here with Cordelia?" asked Joyce.

"Yes ma'am."

"Why?" asked Buffy with a furrowed brow.

"Uh, she's uh…"

"I'm his fashion consultant," said Cordelia primly. "He wanted advice on getting a new wardrobe, so he went to the best."

"Hey, there you guys are- Oh! Hi Mrs. Summers! Buffy!" chirped Willow as she rushed to hug Buffy, "I'm **so** glad you're here!"

"Hello, Willow."

"Hey Willow, you're here too?"

"I just wanted to make sure that Xander was alright."

"Of course he is. He's actually listening to my advice!"

"That polo shirt does look good on him," observed Joyce as she fixed his collar and played with the hem of his sleeve. Hot damn feel the muscles on him! "Although this color is totally wrong for him," she said to Cordelia.

"What!" exclaimed an affronted Cordelia. Buffy and Willow grinned cattily at Cordelia's gaping stare at Joyce.

"His features are too strong for such a passive color dear. You should go with a bright blue or perhaps a navy polo."

She clicked her jaw shut then looked Xander over once again. "Huh, you're right." Now Buffy and Willow gaped at Cordelia. "I'm just so used to seeing most guys wearing this shirt using lighter colors."

"I know the type of guys you're talking about. Xander probably eats them for breakfast."

"Nah, not enough filling," quipped Xander with a grin, which Joyce returned. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she dashed to a nearby clothes rack. When she returned, Joyce pressed a dark black fishnet t-shirt against Xander.

"Fishnet? Really?" doubted Cordelia.

"You have to imagine the motorcycle jacket, dear," replied Joyce matter-of-factly.

"You know, I can totally see that," she agreed after a moment's consideration.

"Come on Xander, let's find you a jacket and a better polo," commanded Joyce.

"What?"

"Buffy, where do we find the motorcycle jackets in this place?"

"Ooh, I know!" Buffy's eyes lit up as she grabbed Willow's hand, "come on Willow, it's dress up time!"

"What!"

"We've only gotten a few t-shirts and some jeans so far Mrs. Summers. He wanted a complete wardrobe. We've got an appointment at two for a suit fitting next door."

Xander looked at his watch and saw it was half past eleven. "**What!**" he repeated again.

"Come along Xander, I think we've found you a polo," ordered Joyce.

Xander whimpered.

***BTVS***

"Sheila's a no-show?" asked Willow. Buffy shook her hed. "She goes to this really rank bar. The Fish Tank? Sometimes they have raids and other stuff that can make you tardy," explained Willow.

"Do you think you can help me cram some French tonight? I don't want Mr. _DeJean_ telling my mother I'm an _imbécile_."

"I thought we were going to the Bronze tonight. Cause of how you thought Angel might show?"

"If he does he'll meet some other nice girl?" chimed in Xander before he turned to Buffy and firmly stated, "studying comes first."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "We're going to the Bronze. I can study and party _and_ do Parent-Teacher night _and_ make my mother proud as long as I don't have to-"

"Buffy!" called out Giles as he and Jenny walked into the student lounge.

"-fight vampires," finished Buffy glumly.

"There is nothing in the chronicles about a-an extraneous lunar cycle," argued Giles as he walked into the room.

Jenny shook her head exasperatedly before she retorted. "The Order never accurately calculated the Mesopotamian Calendar. Rupert, you have _got_ to read something that was published after 1066."

"Very funny," said Giles drily.

"What's the up, guys?" asked Xander once Giles and Jenny reached the rest of the gang.

"W-um, Ms. Calendar has been researching," Giles frowned briefly, "well, uh, surfing on her computer, a-and she's..." Giles trailed off while he gathered his thoughts. "Well, according to her calculations, this Saturday is the night of St. Vigeous."

"Let me guess: he didn't make balloon animals," quipped Buffy.

"No," said Xander as he crossed his arms in front of him frowned thoughtfully. "He led a crusade of vampires that razed several major cities of the time. He was working his way east, though no one knows why."

Buffy and Willow stared at Xander with a measure of disbelief.

"Yes, that is correct Xander. I'm glad you've been keeping up with your studies."

Xander ducked his head and shrugged. "Hey, no big."

"Okay, so I get this vampire was bad, but why does he have a night?"

"It's not an anniversary," said Xander. "For some reason, vamps get a power boost on that night."

"Well, if I survive Parent-Teacher night tomorrow, I'll see what I can do about Saturday," said Buffy as a compromise.

"You're being a tad flip don't you think? This is serious," admonished Giles.

"And getting kicked out of school is laughs aplenty?" asked Buffy rhetorically.

"You know what happens when you, you let your life interfere with your slaying."

"Okay, well, if my slaying doesn't get me expelled, then I promise my banner making won't get me killed, okay?" retorted Buffy sourly before she pleaded, "Just please let me get through this week."

"This Saturday's going to need a great deal of preparation," said Giles seriously. He turned when Xander laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't sweat it too much G-man. I've got her back." Xander made a very sour face before he added "and we can always ask Angel." Everyone turned a very surprised look at Xander. Giles relaxed as he realized, once again, that Buffy would not have to fight alone.

"Once again, you are correct, Xander."

"I'll try not to let it become a habit," said Xander with a smirk.

"Cheeky bugger," said Giles with a snort and a small smile.

Xander turned to Buffy and considered her for a moment.

"What?" she asked him.

Xander ducked his eyes as he answered. "I'll take patrol tonight. It'll give you a chance to relax, rest up for this Saturday."

"Thanks, Xan!" she exclaimed gratefully.

"Anything for you," muttered Xander before he turned and pulled Giles along with him. "Come on, let's go work out patrol routes."

"Uh, y-yes, of course. Good luck with your preparations Buffy."

"Thanks, Giles."

Once they were out of earshot Giles turned to Xander. "Where will Buffy be, er, relaxing?"

"The Bronze, most likely."

"She will be meeting Angel there, won't she?" asked Giles rhetorically. Xander shrugged. "Then why?" asked Giles in confusion. Surely Xander would want to create as much distance between Buffy and Angel as was possible.

"It'll make her happy," replied Xander sadly.

Giles had no words for him. He clapped his shoulder firmly. "Come then, let's work out some patrol routes for you."

***BTVS***

"I took patrol and you still ended up with vampire action?"

"Yeah," replied Buffy glumly. "And it wasn't even Angel."

"Yeah, he was a total no-show," added Willow. Xander marched over to the counter and flipped through a random tome to hide his displeasure at having both his girls think wistfully about _him_.

"And this vampire called for someone named, er, _Spike_, was it?" asked Giles.

"Yeah, something like that. Heard of him?" asked Buffy.

"Can't say that I have, though he can't be worse than any other creature you've faced," said Giles.

Xander suddenly whirled to the front door, drawing everyone's attention. Angel finished slipping into the library while everyone turned to see what Xander was glaring at.

"He's worse," said Angel while pointedly ignoring Xander. "Once he starts something he doesn't stop until everything in his path is dead."

Everyone turned to stare at Xander again when he growled. Angel turned to him and sneered.

"If his path leads him to us then he's dust," growled Xander.

"He'll eat you alive, _boy_."

"My hammer says otherwise, _corpse_."

Buffy slammed her hands on the table and walked over until she was standing between both of them. "I've had enough of this crap! God! What is it between you two?" she asked angrily.

Xander and Angel glanced down at her then back to each other. Xander turned away first and returned to his examination of a random tome. Buffy glared at Xander's back until it was clear he wasn't going to answer. She turned back to Angel who also looked away from her. She sighed and shook her head in frustration.

Jenny turned a commiserating look at Giles when he sighed softly after Buffy's question.

"We were at the Bronze before," said Buffy to Angel. "Thought you said you might show."

"You said you weren't sure if you were going," replied a confused Angel.

"I was being cool," said Buffy. "Come on, you've been dating for, what, like, two hundred years? You don't know what a girl means when she says maybe she'll show?" asked Buffy in disbelief.

"Wow, two centuries of dating," began Willow in wonder, "If you only had two a year, that's still, like, four hundred," she faltered when Buffy shot her a dirty look, "dates with four hundred different-"

"We do have slightly more urgent matters to discuss," interjected Giles with the hope of getting the conversation back on track.

"Yeah, like keeping my mom away from Principal Snyder tomorrow night," said a worried Buffy.

"And not dying Saturday," stated Jenny. That might be more important, after all she thought.

"Angel, do you-" began Giles.

"He's gone," intoned Xander. The rest of the group turned to look at the still swinging library doors. "Well that was a whole lot of nothing."

"What's your problem with Angel?" asked Buffy angrily.

"He's a vampire," stated Xander succinctly.

"He has a soul!"

"Still doesn't keep him from being a vampire," said Xander as he walked over to the book cage and began arming himself for patrol, "or a cryptic bastard. Or patently unhelpful. Or a coward." Buffy and Willow stared agape at Xander and the vehemence in his voice. Xander finished arming himself and headed for the door. "I'm heading out Giles. Route two tonight."

"Yes, of course Xander. Do be careful, won't you?" Xander merely nodded before pulling on a black cotton long coat and heading out the doors.

"He _really_ doesn't like Angel," stated Willow obviously.

"Why? What's Angel done to him?" asked Buffy huffily.

"Angel smells like blood and death to Xander's senses," answered Giles, startling both girls. "He also has a deep and abiding hatred of vampires because of what happened to Jesse."

Buffy ducked her head and bit her lip at the reminder of her failure.

"Why does he call Angel a coward?" asked Willow into the silence.

Giles pulled off his glasses and began polishing them against the hem of his shirt. "Angel is a, a, a master vampire," he began. "He would be of great help in, in Buffy's battles, if he ever started fighting with us regularly. Xander has repeatedly asked, if Angel is on the side of good, why doesn't he go out and help every night. After all, Angel doesn't have a job or, or, or even a social life as such. I'm inclined to agree with Xander."

"Giles!" said Buffy in shock.

"Buffy," said Giles firmly, "Angel is a vampire. Regardless of how you feel about it there is no future to a relationship with him."

"But I…" Buffy trailed off, unsure of how to explain her feelings. Unsure of what her feelings even were!

"I really don't…" Giles trailed off as Jenny laid a hand on his arm and shook her head. He pushed his glasses up his nose and took a long breath. "The heart wants what the heart wants. I just don't think you dating Angel is a good idea, that's all."

"So who should she date?" asked Willow suspiciously. Was Giles trying to push Xander and Buffy together?

"The living," deadpanned Giles. His words made Willow flush. "Beyond that he should be a good guy."

"Or girl," added Jenny with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, or gir-urk!" Giles choked on his words as he realized what it was that Jenny had said. Giles practically ripped the glasses of his face and began polishing them furiously.

Jenny, Willow, and Buffy giggled at him. "Relax Giles," Buffy told him laughingly, "I don't swing that way. I am firmly in love with _tall and hard,_" drawled Buffy as she mimed gripping a cylindrical object. She began laughing when Giles' eyes bulged out of his face, "hunky men!" she finished with a laugh as Willow and Jenny began giggling at Giles' reaction.

"Bloody hell," muttered Giles as he retreated to his office. He whirled on Jenny as he passed her. "I blame you for this," he told her sourly before he swiftly ensconced himself in his office. Their laughter could still be heard through the door.

***BTVS***

"Did you see that thing get Jason!" asked the man hysterically. "We gotta get outta here!"

"Shut it!" yelled a woman wearing a motorcycle jacket. "You'll lead it to us!"

"What? No, I'm getting out of here!" screamed the man before running out the front door of the warehouse. The two other men made a grab for him to keep him from running out. He slipped from their grasps and made for the door. As soon as he crossed the threshold he screamed as something pulled him up. His scream was suddenly cut off.

"Oh shit," muttered the man wearing a suit. "He's found us."

"Out the back," whispered a young man in jeans and a white t-shirt, as he pulled the girl along with him. They ran through the warehouse until they reached the rear exit. White t-shirt rammed the door, sending it flying open, and led his two companions down a long alley. They made a random turn down one alley and then another, hopping over a fence to do so. They stopped at the mouth of the alley and scanned the sparsely populated street in front of them.

"Which way Brad?" asked the girl.

"We need a crowd to hide in," said the young man in the white t-shirt. "How far's the mall Terrence?" When there was no response they both turned around. The alley was empty.

"Oh fuck," breathed the girl.

"Stacy?" asked Brad softly.

"Yeah?"

"Run!" They both ran toward the most crowded part of the street. Jostling people aside, they turned the corner then ducked through an alley. They didn't stop running until they hit the mall parking lot. They ducked into the stream of people leaving during closing time.

"Stay close Stace," whispered Brad.

"Don't worry, I'm right behind you."

"We'll make a break for it once we reach the street, okay?" He scanned the crowd in front of him and searched the street for any sign of their pursuer. "Alright, get ready Stacy. Stacy?" he whispered as he turned around to find Stacy gone. What the hell? He stopped and searched the crowd behind him for his paramour. "Stacy?" he called again. A shadow moved out of the corner of his eye but when he looked there was nothing there.

It was enough to send him running across the street. He knocked several people over as he made his way to the crowd. He heard footsteps as they followed behind him. He chanced a glance over his shoulder.

"Ahh! Get it away from me!" screamed the Brad as he ducked into an alley, toppling trashcans behind him. He spun around the corner of the alley and plastered himself against the building wall. He tried to still his heavy breaths and listened closely to the sounds coming from the alley when a shadow fell across him. "You! Stay away!" he yelled as he turned to run. Before his third step fell his body crumbled into dust.

"I hate it when they run," muttered Xander as he repacked his stake. He smiled to himself, "still the look on his face was hilarious." He frowned and looked around at the darkened street lined with warehouses. "Okay, I'm at the docks. Now, which way is the park?"

***BTVS***

"What's in the box?" asked Buffy as Xander set down a large carton with a muffled thud and slight rattling sound.

"Stakes!" said Xander proudly as he opened up the box and pulled out a perfectly carved, sharpened stake.

"How the hell did you get all those ready, dweeb boy?" asked Cordelia.

"Industrial power tools," said Xander with a smirk. "I sprung for a wood chopper and a stake sharpener. Giles purchased several wooden poles from the local lumber mill. Add in an hour's work in his garage and presto! 300 stakes, almost ready to use!"

"Almost?" asked Buffy as she tested one of the stakes by flipping it in the air and spinning it in her hand. She nodded approvingly as she asked, "What do you mean, almost?"

"Well, this is the finished product," said Xander as he tossed her a stake with tape wrapped around one end.

"Oh, so we tape it up for grip? I like it," said Buffy with a smile as she proceeded to thrust and spin the stake.

"I thought it was a very clever idea on Xander's part myself," said Giles as he set a large bag of tape on the table. "So, uh, Cordelia, you'll need to cut this tape into four inch long strips. Xander will apply them to the stakes. Willow, if you could continue to research past St. Vigeous revels, perhaps we can predict how and where they will strike. Buffy…" Giles trailed off as he watched Buffy slice a vegetables with a machete. "…good luck with your snacks."

"Okay, I think that's the last of it. Banners, tables, veggie trays, am I forgetting anything?"

"Punch?" asked Willow.

"Punch! I need punch!" exclaimed Buffy, "Okay gotta go. You guys hold down the fort, I'm punch-bound," said Buffy as she quickly walked out of the library. Once she left, Cordelia quickly reached for a snack from the vegetable tray.

"No," said Buffy firmly as she darted back in. She found herself surprised that Xander hadn't also made a grab for the tray. "You're not hungry, Xander?"

Xander turned from Buffy's disappointed look to her vegetable tray. "Not enough meat," he said as pulled a bag of jerky from his jacket pocket and popped a piece into his mouth.

"Oh! Gimme!" said Cordelia as she reached for the bag. Xander quickly pulled it away from her and placed his body in between her and the bag.

"No geh yo own!" said Xander playfully, his mouth full of jerky meaty goodness.

***BTVS***

Three hours later found Giles and Jenny in the library, researching, while Xander practiced his stake quick draw.

"We really need bandoliers," said Xander. "Maybe even some kind of forearm harness," he added speculatively.

"You know," began Jenny thoughtfully, "I do know a leatherworker in LA. He might be able to rig something up for you."

"We'll definitely need to get in touch with him. I'm tired of fumbling in my jacket pocket for a stake. And I'm** definitely** not putting another one of these in my pocket again." Jenny laughed as he rubbed his left buttock in remembered pain.

"There you are!" exclaimed Giles.

"There who is?" asked Jenny.

"Our new friend Spike," said Giles as he motioned to the page he was reading. "He's known as 'William the Bloody'. Earned his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes." Giles scrunched up his face in disgust, "very pleasant." He visibly brightened and said, "Well, here's some good news: he's barely two hundred. He's not even as old as Angel is." He frowned as he read further. "Oh."

"That's a bad look, right?" asked Xander to no one in particular.

"Spike has fought two Slayers in the last century, and... he's killed them both."

"Well he's not getting this one," said Xander firmly as he spun, drew and buried his stake in the training dummy in one smooth motion. "Finally got it!" he said triumphantly.

"Good form Xander, keep practicing. Meanwhile I'll check what I have on Spike. The Watcher's Council has always tried to track any vampire that manages to kill a slayer. They should have more information we can use on this Spike character."

As Giles marched toward the library loud screaming could be heard from within the school.

"What the hell?" muttered Xander as he moved toward the library front doors. Giles and Jenny joined him and the three stepped into the hall. Buffy rushed into the hall from a different direction, the remaining parents trailed behind her.

"Spike and an army! Look out!" yelled Buffy. Xander spun and rushed the vampire that came up from the other direction of the hall.

"Back!" yelled Giles as he and Jenny ran into the library.

Xander quickly bowled over the female vampire with a quick one-two combination. Grabbing her by the back of the head, he smashed her face into the wall, easily breaking through the drywall.

"Xander!" yelled Joyce. Xander spun around to find Buffy and the parents still in the hall.

"That's destruction of school property," blustered Principal Snyder nervously, "I'll have you expelled!" Xander growled as he stalked over to the principal. Grabbing him by the shoulders, Xander flung him into the library.

"Everyone, into the library," he commanded just as another vampire burst through the door Buffy came through. Buffy quickly moved to engage the vampire. Xander hustled all the parents into the library with Giles' help. Once they were inside, Xander quickly staked the female vampire before tossing his stake over to Buffy, who made short work of the male vampire.

They walked back into the library to find chaos.

"That was assault!" yelled Principal Snyder, "I'll have that worthless punk arrested!"

"What was wrong with their faces!"

"They got my Ralph!"

"It's gang members on PCP!"

"We have to make a break for it!"

"Help me barricade the door damn it!"

"Buffy!"

"Shut it!" yelled Xander. The sheer volume of his voiced stilled everyone into silence. "You and you," he said as he pointed at the two strongest looking males in the room, "help Giles barricade the door. Everyone else, be quiet and keep calm. We'll do our best to get you out of here."

"I'm not sure but I thought there was something wrong with their faces?" asked Joyce.

"Yes! PCP!" quickly replied Principal Snyder, "We've got to get out of here!"

"No! You can't go out there, they'll kill you," said Buffy.

"You don't tell _me_ what to do, I tell _you_," said Principal Snyder.

"Oh sorry about," said Xander sarcastically. "Here, let me escort you back into the hall with the others," he said as he grabbed Principal Snyder's shoulder.

"No!" screamed Principal Snyder, "they're on PCP, they'll tear me apart!"

"And this is a problem how?" growled Xander.

"Xander, enough!" called out Giles. Xander let go of Principal Snyder with a growl. "Principal Snyder…" Giles trailed off as the power went out and the emergency lights came back on. The parents looked around the room nervously. "Principal Snyder, perhaps you should let the more experienced individuals deal with the situation."

"You might believe in these little punks but I'm not putting my life in delinquents! Least of all the bastard of the town drunks," spat Principal Snyder with a sneer before he gestured dismissively to Buffy, "and who knows what that trollop gets up to!" A sudden slap knocked him to the floor.

"Mom!" exclaimed Buffy in surprise.

"Go Mrs. Summers!" cheered Xander.

Joyce rubbed her hand to clear the stinging from it as Principal Snyder looked up at her in shock. "That's my daughter you're talking about, you little tyrant," she said angrily. She took a breath then turned to Xander and Buffy. "What do they want?"

"To kill us all," said Giles as he led his impromptu helpers to the back, "We'll barricade the rear door and stay put until help arrives."

"Phones are dead," called Jenny from Giles' office.

Joyce turned back from watching the men barricade the back door to find Xander and Buffy on the counter pushing up the drop ceiling. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked with a note of panic in her voice. "Buffy, Xander, are you crazy?" she asked as she pulled Buffy down. "Look, I know you've been accused of fighting and other things, but those guys are serious. You can't go out there."

"That's why I'm going up there," said Buffy as she pointed at the ceiling.

"We have to," added Xander as he pushed up the ceiling. "Somebody needs to drive the _gang-members_ off."

"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Giles as he rushed over to his two charges.

"We have to Giles," replied Buffy seriously as she clambered onto the counter and pulled herself up into the ceiling with Xander's help.

"What about," Giles turned and looked at all the expectant faces before he stepped closer and whispered, "what about Spike?"

"We drive him into the ground just like any other spike," said Xander seriously as he brandished his hammer. He tossed it up to Buffy, who caught it, before he leapt up and pulled himself into the crawlspace. "We'll let you know when it's safe to leave," he called down.

"You're letting them leave?" asked Joyce incredulously.

"They can take care of themselves," said Giles as he stared at the hole in the ceiling Xander and Buffy disappeared into. "For now we stay here and make sure no one gets in."

***BTVS***

"Are you sure about this Xander?" asked Buffy as they lowered themselves down in front of the library.

"Sure, we can take them. They don't even have the power up from this Saturday."

"Alright then, let's go." Buffy headed down the hall toward the lounge.

"Did you see Willow?"

"She ran off with Cordelia," Buffy hesitated as Xander stumbled for a moment then turned an intense look on her. "I'm not sure what happened to them."

Xander began growling as he gripped his hammer. A vampire burst from a classroom in an attempt to take them by surprise. Xander grabbed the vampire by the neck as it rushed him and slammed the vampire on the ground. A moment later his hammer followed and smashed the vampires head into pulp. It crumbled into dust right after.

Buffy turned a wary glance on Xander. His rage and bloodlust was palpable to the slayer spirit within her. She could feel it thrumming in tune with the low growl coming off Xander. Turning the corner they found three vampires headed their way. The vampires grinned and began to run toward them.

Ducking down under the vampires hook, Buffy swept the vampire off its feet before she planted the stake in its chest as it fell, slamming the vampire to the ground and off her stake. The vampire burst into dust as it hit the floor.

Xander nearly split the other vampire into two with an overhead smash. The hip bone and legs were crushed to the floor as the torso hung open like a split banana. The third vampire watched in shock and horror as the split vampire burst into dust in time with Buffy's vampire. He turned to run but Buffy buried a thrown stake in his back. He dusted shortly after.

"Damn, lost a stake," muttered Buffy. Xander handed her one of his. "Don't you need this?"

"I have Mjolnir the Second. Extensive blunt for trauma seems to work just as well." Another vampire jumped out at them only to have Xander take her head off with a powerful swing. "And it's _a lot_ more satisfying."

Buffy hummed thoughtfully before spinning around the corner and shoving someone into the wall.

"Sheila!" she cried in surprise. "Where've you been?"

"Sorry I'm late," she said slowly and loudly. "There's some really weird guys outside," she muttered dumbly. Xander frowned at her.

"Shh! Yeah, I know. They're trying to kill us."

"This should be fun," she said with a smile before Xander grabbed her and slammed her into the wall head first. She fell to the ground unconscious.

"Xander!" yelled Buffy in shock. "No!"

Xander brought his stake down on Sheila's chest before Buffy could stop him.

"Oh my god what did you-" Buffy cut herself off as Sheila burst into dust.

"She was turned," said Xander as he pocketed his stake.

"How could you tell?"

"The nose knows."

"I forgot about that. Very handy," she said as she walked down the hall toward the lounge.

"Slaaayer! Here, kitty, kittyyy!" Xander and Buffy turned to each other as they heard Spike's taunts. "I find one of your friends first, I'm gonna suck 'em dry. And use their bones to bash your head in." Xander and Buffy rushed down the hall. "Are you getting a word picture here?" They burst through the doors at the end of the hall just as Spike was about to kick a door down.

"There you are! And you've brought a snack with you, how nice." Spike snapped his fingers and four more vampires joined him from the shadows. "Kill the boy," he ordered, "the Slayer's mine." The four vampires rushed toward Xander.

"Cover your ears," whispered Xander quickly to Buffy. Buffy looked at him in confusion for a moment. "Cover your ears," he whispered harshly. Buffy did as she was told. She watched Xander as he took a deep breath, reared back, then snapped forward and let loose a ground-shaking roar.

Spike clutched at his ears as he stumbled back from the force of Xander's roar. The other four vampires were knocked senseless and fell to the ground in a tumble. Xander quickly rushed over and smashed their heads in.

Wow that hurt! Buffy rubbed at her ears to stop them from ringing. The next time Xander said that she was going to make sure her ears were totally covered! The ringing stopped as Xander finished dusting the last vampire.

"What the bloody fucking hell was that!" yelled Spike as he stared at Xander incredulously. "What the bloody fucking hell are you!"

"I'm the Hunter," said Xander as he walked toward Spike, "you're the prey."

"Well bollocks to that!" yelled Spike as he let out a long loud whistle and backpedaled further into the lounge. A moment later four vampires jumped into the lounge from the broken window while three more rushed into the hall across from Xander and Buffy. Xander stepped in front of Buffy and began taking a deep breath when five vampires rushed into the lounge behind Xander and Buffy.

"Who's the prey now, mate?" taunted Spike with a feral grin.

Xander and Buffy shared a brief look. "I got Spike," said Buffy suddenly.

"I got the rest," Xander said with a nod. They both burst into motion. Buffy reached her target first and delivered a full on thrust kick to Spike, sending him careening into a corner of the lounge.

The vampires who came into the window moved to engage when Xander swept them all off their feet with a swing of his hammer. They crashed into the opposite corner of the lounge, toppling over furniture and tables.

"The Slayer is mine!" yelled out Spike furiously, before he thrust a finger in Xander's direction, "make that _thing_ dead!" He ducked under Buffy's roundhouse kick then sent her sprawling with a push.

The other eight vampires converged on Xander as he quickly smashed two of the fallen vampire's heads in. Three of the vampires overtook their brethren and reached Xander first. Xander thrust his hammer forward like a sword, catching the middle vampire in the chest. The vampire's feet kept going forward as the rest of his body stopped cold and he fell to the floor. Xander settled into a deep horse stance as the two other vampires came up next to him and he swung the hammer in a circle over his head, catching both vampire's in the face. One of them was knocked out completely while the other one cradled the scrape that covered the lower half of his face.

Buffy flipped back to her feet as Spike reached her. He swung out with two hooks that she easily avoided. She kicked him in the knee as he stepped forward then punched him in the face as he fell. She hopped and stomped on where his head was but Spike rolled out of the way before he spun on the ground and swept her off her feet. Buffy flowed with the fall and rolled to her feet. Spike leapt off the ground as only a master vampire could and moved in with a series of jabs. Buffy blocked the first two but the third scraped her temple and she couldn't block Spike's hook to her ribs. She doubled over as the air was expelled from her left lung.

The vampire came to and saw the boy thrashing the others with his hammer. She got up and leapt at the boy, biting down on his forearm as he swung his arm back. Xander screamed as he dropped Mjolnir reflexively. Dragging her toward him as he pulled his arm in, he thrust his fingers in her face, gouging out both her eyes. She stopped feeding on him and screamed as she cradled her face. Another vampire came up beside him and slashed him across the face. Xander hissed at the vampire before leveling her with a right hook. Another vampire's kick in the back sent him flying over the lounge railing and onto the lower floor.

Buffy spun as Spike punched her in the face. She hooked a kick into the rear of his head and followed it with a straight to his eye. She stomped on his instep and swung her elbow up into his chin before she twisted around and down and delivered a vertical thrust kick into his chin. Spike's head snapped back as he struggled to keep his balance. He tossed a chair at Buffy to stop her from charging him. She blocked the chair and swept it out of her line of sight as Spike jumped into her with a kick which sent her flying over a couch in the lounge.

The vampire leapt over the railing, intent on stomping the human's head in. Xander rolled up and put his feet up, catching the vampire's feet with his own. Xander straightened with a yell. The force of his thrust launched the hapless vampire into the ceiling and embedded him into the crawlspace. The other vampires stared at the sight in shock, giving Xander time to stand back up. He quickly reached over the railing, grabbed one of the vampires, and pulled him backward halfway over the rail before slamming his forearms down on either side of the railing. The vampire's spine broke over the metal and Xander left him folded over as he leapt over the railing and kicked another vampire. Xander spun and impaled a third vampire in a smooth motion before a vampire kicked the back of his knee and slammed his head into a table.

Spike stopped his rush as the couch lifted up. "Catch!" yelled Buffy as she threw the couch at him. Spike braced himself but the couch had too much force and knocked him off his feet. She glanced to the side and saw Xander's head bounce off the table. Grabbing the coffee table she threw it at the vampire standing directly over Xander, blowing her off her feet. The other vampire turned to Buffy and stepped forward. The vampire never saw Xander as he leapt to his feet and staked her in the back.

"Buff!" called out Xander as he pointed to the side. Buffy turned to find Spike out from under the couch and leaping at her. Buffy flipped forward and caught Spike in the face with a perfectly timed Axe kick. The kick was one she had perfected while she sparred with Xander, who had noted vampires' habit of pouncing on their prey.

The vampire with the scrape on his face leapt on Xander's back. Xander immediately bent forward while pulling the vampire down by the head. The vampire flew off Xander's back and slammed into the ground. Xander quickly plunged his stake down. A kick to the head made him lose his grip on the stake before he could pull it out. Xander rolled to his feet as the last four vamps approached him.

Buffy rolled Spike over and straddled his chest. She wanted to watch his face as she staked him. That proved to be a mistake as Spike recovered and kicked her in the back of the head as he pushed her off of him.

Xander crouched back, feigning wariness. Once the vampires had closed in on him he pounced forward, battering through one of the smaller vampires. The nearest vampire grabbed a hold of his collar. Xander felt the pulling sensation and slipped out of his jacket. He dove forward and grabbed his hammer from the ground. He rolled with the momentum and came up facing the vampires. One of them was in mid leap. Xander hammered the vampire into the ground. Her head burst like a melon from the impact.

Buffy turned and tried to stake Spike as he rose. He placed his arm in the way. The stake drove straight through his forearm. Buffy let go with a triumphant expression as Spike stumbled back in pain. She turned to help Xander when she noticed that Spike hadn't dusted yet. She frowned as Spike turned his face up and grinned at her. He pulled his hand away to reveal that the tip of the stake had pierced his chest but not reached his heart. He pulled out the stake and tossed it aside. Buffy dove for the stake but Spike grabbed her and tossed her away from it.

The remaining three vampires circled around Xander, staying just out of reach of his hammer. Xander kept the hammer close as he tried to keep the vampires from flanking him. Holding the hammer in his right hand, Xander pulled a stake out of one of his belt loops and threw it at the vampire on the right. The vampire ducked the wild throw, unaware that Xander had yet to successfully stake even a stationary target with a thrown stake, and left himself open to Xander's follow-up hammer strike to the middle of his back. The attack broke his spine. The other two vampires came around and attacked.

As she flew onto the table, Buffy turned with the impact to land on her feet. She tossed the table forward and stopped Spike from closing in on her. She rushed forward and dropkicked Spike, landing on top of the recently pushed table. Spike was knocked off his feet from the force of her blow. Buffy slid off the table and threw a kick forward, which Spike just managed to slap away. Keeping her leg in the air Buffy threw her foot around toward Spike's face. Spike managed to put up a block that off balanced Buffy. Grabbing her around the throat, Spike roared as he picked her up and slammed her onto the table, which broke from the impact.

Reversing his grip and holding the hammer just under the head, Xander thrust the hammer handle first into the stomach of the nearest vampire, doubling him over. He blocked the second vampire's haymaker swing and struck the side of the vampire's head with his hammer's handle. The vampire fell to the ground stunned. Still holding his hammer upside down, Xander slammed the hammerhead end into the head of the still doubled over vampire, knocking him out. He grabbed the tip of the handle with his left hand and swung the hammer into the head of the second vampire, knocking the vampires head clean off her shoulders. In the course of his swing he saw Spike slam Buffy through a table.

Spike followed down and squeezed her throat with both hands. Buffy tried to punch him off but he had more reach than she did. Her eyes glanced around wildly and she reached for a weapon when something fell near her hand with a large thud. Spike turned just as she grabbed the heavy object. It was Xander's hammer! She swung the hammer as hard as she could from her prone position. Spike started scrambling off her as soon as she picked it up and took the strike in his shoulder instead of his head. His shoulder broke with a loud crack as he was knocked into the wall. Across the lounge he spotted the whelp slamming a vampire down on the leg of an upturned table, dusting it. He turned back to the slayer who was now wielding that ridiculous hammer.

"This isn't over slayer!" he yelled angrily before he turned and fled through the broken lounge window.

Buffy turned at a sudden crack only to see Xander plunge a broken-off table leg through the chest of the blinded vampire, who had spent the rest of the fight stumbling around and crying in pain. Buffy recovered her stake and joined him in dusting the remaining vampires.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this. Again," said Buffy as she handed the sledgehammer back to Xander.

"My hammer es su hammer, Buffy," replied Xander with a soft smile before he looked intently to his right. He turned and began stalking forward, sniffing the air as he went.

"What is it boy?" said Buffy with a smile, "Is Timmy stuck in a well?"

"I'm **not** Lassie," grunted Xander as he continued sniffing around. He quickly followed a trail only he could sense to a nearby janitor's closet. "Willow?" he called out hopefully.

The door opened slowly to reveal Cordelia and Willow's faces peeking out. Once they spotted Xander and Buffy's dirtied but relaxed forms the flung the door open and the two girls rushed out happily.

"Oh thank god, you saved us!" cried Cordelia as she hugged Xander, "I thought they were going to find us in there!"

"Are you two okay?" asked Willow worriedly as she spotted all the scrapes and bruises on Xander and Buffy.

"We're fine. We totally won the day, now we can all go- Mom!" cried Buffy as she turned and ran back to the library. The three others followed. They found Buffy pounding on the door. "Open up Giles, it's safe."

"No!" yelled Principal Snyder, "open that door and we're all dead! Those punks are probably all part of their little gang by now!"

"Oh shut up you sanctimonious little troll!" yelled out Joyce. The sound of moving furniture was heard for a few moments before the doors finally opened. "Oh my god, Buffy!" yelled Joyce as she rushed out and hugged her daughter, "Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine Mom. The bad guys are all gone."

"Oh, honey," said Joyce as she hugged her daughter once again, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Are you alright Xander?" asked Giles as he examined the young man.

Xander nodded tiredly. "Yeah, just some small scratches," he said nonchalantly as he gestured dismissively at the four deep scratches across his face, "no big."

"In any case let's get some disinfectant on it at least."

***BTVS***

Later Buffy and Joyce are leaving the school as the police cordoned off the area. Buffy turned to her mother and tentatively asked, "So, what did you and Principal Snyder talk about anyway?"

"Principal Snyder said you were a troublemaker," said Joyce calmly. Buffy ducked her head in shame. "And I could care less." Buffy looked up at her mother in surprise. Joyce turned to face Buffy and smiled. "I have a daughter who can take care of herself. Who's brave and resourceful and thinks of others in a crisis. No matter who you hang out with or what dumb teenage stuff you think you need to do, I'm going to sleep better knowing all that."

Buffy smiled happily at her mother before she frowned and asked, "About how long 'til this wears off and you start ragging on me again?"

"Oh, at least a week and a half," said Joyce laughingly.

"Very cool!" exclaimed Buffy as she skipped along.

"Well, another wonderful fun-filled evening," said Jenny sarcastically as she followed Giles out into the parking lot.

"Uh, yes," agreed Giles as he fiddled with his glasses. "You know, um, I will understand if you decide to start avoiding me," he said glumly. Jenny stopped him with a touch on his shoulder. He turned to find her smiling at him before she took his arm in hers. Giles grinned at Jenny.

"Ahoy there, Captain Useless!"

Jenny and Giles turned to find Xander waving at something in the shadows. Angel stepped out into the light of the parking lot.

"What happened here?" asked Angel through gritted teeth.

"Everything," said Xander with a smirk. "Thanks for nothing," he said with a sneer.

Angel growled at him and made to turn away when Giles said, "Spike came."

Angel turned to Giles. "Spike?" he asked surprised.

"He showed up here with several vampires and laid siege to the school. Fortunately, Buffy and Xander were able to defeat his minions, though, unfortunately, Spike got away."

"Oh," said a nonplussed Angel.

"Like I said, thanks for nothing _Deadboy_."

Angel growled at Xander before turning and disappearing into the darkness.

"I hate that guy."

"You don't say," said Giles sarcastically. Xander ducked his head.

"I need to walk Willow home," he mumbled.

"Well, don't be too late. Tomorrow's a school day, after all," said Giles with an evil grin.

"Joy," grumbled Xander.


	9. Certainly NOT the Man with No Name

**Chapter 9 – Certainly NOT the Man with No Name**

"Ow."

"Ow."

"_Ow._"

"**Ow.**"

"Ow."

"_Ow._"

"Ow."

"Ow."

"Confound it Xander will you stop that!" yelled Giles. He whirled on Jenny when she began giggling. "And don't encourage him!"

"Rupert, Rupert, you have got to relax," said Jenny teasingly as she plucked the gauze and towel from his hands. Dabbing some more rubbing alcohol on the towel, Xander began to carefully wipe down the scratches on Xander's face. "Hey, these are already healing up," noted Jenny in surprise.

"Yeah, enhanced healing and all that," said Xander with a grin.

Jenny hummed thoughtfully as she continued cleaning his wounds. "So, I've been meaning to ask you, who's in your pride?"

"Huh?" asked Xander blankly.

"Your pride?" asked Jenny insistently.

"Oh! Sorry, just wasn't expecting that is all. Willow, Buffy, Mrs. Summers, Giles, and you," He recited quickly.

"So, are you the Alpha?"

"Of course," he answered in a slightly affronted tone.

"Then are you taking your right with the females?" she asked with a naughty grin.

Xander choked. Then blushed. Then choked again. "Bluh!"

Jenny laughed at him.

"Serves you right you cheeky bugger," chuckled Giles.

Xander waited until they settled down before he answered. "No, I do not," he bit out through his blush. "I'm still human, after all."

"I was wondering about some of that, though," she began seriously despite her large grin. "Do you have a lion's instincts?"

"Some," answered Xander with a waggle of his hand. "Mostly the instincts of the Lion have, um, _merged_, with my own human instincts. Biology still controls everything at the very basic level. However, instead of Home I think Den, instead of Hometown I think Pride land, instead of Family I think Pride. Unlike a lion, I don't have a problem with having Giles in my pride. Unless he started poaching on my females, in which case we will have very vigorous words," he added with a mock glare.

"Aren't I a female in your pride, Xander?" asked Jenny with a raised brow.

Xander blushed again. "Y-yes, b-b-but you're not one of _my_ females. Remember, my human instincts are still part of the package. And they tell me you're out of my league. Same with Mrs. Summers."

Jenny nodded before she asked, "What about Buffy and Willow?"

Xander rubbed at his face, taking care not to disturb his wounds in doing so, and tried to will away his blush. "Uh, I, uh, still have, uh, feelings about both of them."

"So do you want them both?"

"I can't, uh, I can't really answer that without an explanation. The short answer is yes. The long and more accurate answer is that although I physically desire both of them," Xander ducked his head and wiped his mouth to garble his next words, "and you and Mrs. Summers." Jenny still heard him and grinned at him. Xander paused to collect himself. "Emotionally, I think of Willow as my sister. As for Buffy…" Xander sighed as he rubbed at his eyes. "As for Buffy, I'm pretty certain I'm head over heels for her. Ha, in fact I was _literally_ head over heels for her. The first time I saw her I was so stunned that I rode my skateboard right into the rails on the school steps and somersaulted over them."

"That's sweet, Xander," said Jenny. Xander ducked his head again. "So, why _aren't_ you with Buffy?"

Xander clenched his hands so tightly his knuckles cracked. "I asked her to the spring fling. She turned me down. She'd rather go out with _Deadboy_."

"Have you asked her again Xander?"

"Uh, no, no I haven't."

"Maybe you should," she said. Jenny held up a hand to stop his next comment. "Just because she said no then doesn't mean that she'll say no again. And if you really care for her as deeply as it seems you do, then you'll keep trying."

Xander stared at Jenny for a long moment as a variety of emotions played across his face. "Alright," he finally acquiesced, "I'll do it."

"That's the spirit," said Jenny as she ruffled his hair playfully. Xander blushed at the casual touch.

"Um, Xander," interjected Giles. "Have your wounds healed up to the point where they don't hurt anymore?"

"Uh, they didn't really ever hurt, Giles," answered Xander in confusion.

Giles gaped at Xander for a moment before he exploded. "Then what the bloody hell was that earlier when I was trying to clean your wounds!"

"Oh, that!" exclaimed Xander with a grin. "That was just me annoying you," he answered without any shame whatsoever.

Giles cursed under his breath before he stomped out of the room. Jenny began to laugh at him.

"Will you stop encouraging him!" he yelled from the next room over.

Jenny laughed even harder.

***BTVS***

"Aah! Get away from me!" screamed the man as he ran. Xander pounced on him, driving him into the ground. Xander snarled wildly as he smashed his hammer down again and again and again.

Xander stopped when the man moaned pitifully. He stared down at the broken form below him for a moment before his face twisted in disgust. Xander plunged a stake into the vampire's heart and ended its suffering.

"Shouldn't have lost it like that," whispered Xander to himself. He couldn't help it. He was pissed. The _corpse_ beat him to the punch. Again! God **damn** it!

It had been a week since Miss Calendar had suggested he try asking Buffy out again. He said he'd do it, he just hadn't mentioned when. He'd waited for the most opportune moment, and the Cultural Celebration dance coming up would've been the perfect opportunity. So Xander had swung by Buffy's place after patrol only to find Angel was already there. He stared at Buffy smiling at Angel as they talked quietly by her window while his stomach roiled and burned. He slowly stalked away, not wanting to alert either of them to his presence, and now Xander was taking his frustrations out on the Deadites.

Xander took a deep breath to help calm himself. It didn't help much. He couldn't understand why one of his Pride was consorting with an outsider! _He_ was the Alpha! She should have turned to him! What was wrong with him that one of _his_ girls was-

He growled with frustration as he ran his hand through his hair. That was one of his biggest problems. His lion _and_ his human instincts were telling him that Buffy was part of his family unit. That she was his mate. It was playing havoc with his reactions. They were just talking. It didn't mean anything. Except it meant everything! Xander kicked at a random rock in frustration. The rock shot straight into a tree where it embedded itself into the trunk. Maybe he should just dust Angel?

Xander shook the random thought away. He was a leech but he didn't deserve to be killed. Xander spat to the side in disgust. He'd just have to put up with Angel. He knew why he tolerated the _corpse's_ presence, of course. It made her happy. It made her smile. She could make him do anything with that smile. Even cut himself open. At least, that was how his chest felt at the moment. Xander stopped in shock suddenly. Was he brooding! Xander closed his eyes and tried to will his rampant emotions to calm. He took a long slow breath and began one of the many exercises that Giles had taught him. His eyes snapped open as he smelled a familiar scent.

Xander spun a moment too late as a Vahrall demon barreled into him, sending his hammer flying as he fell to the ground under the tackle. He managed to turn fully after they hit the ground and he looked up into the Vahrall's ugly face. The demon's face curved in a predator's grin as he wrestled with Xander. "Hunter," breathed the demon. Xander's shock almost made him stop for a moment. He kept the demon from finding purchase on his throat but the best he could manage from his lower position was a stalemate. The larger Vahrall held the advantage from his top mount, however.

"You know me?" grunted out Xander in the hope of distracting the demon.

"Bounty," grunted the demon succinctly. "Prestige from Peerage," growled the demon as it moved higher up on Xander's chest, looking for more leverage so it could strangle Xander.

Xander's eyes widened as he remembered the demon Guillame's words.

_However, you are now _marked_, Hunter._

Crap, so this is what he meant! Xander arched his back to raise the demon off the ground a bit before he contracted and brought both his knees into the demon's back. The demon plopped face first into the ground as Xander followed through with his roll. Xander spun on the demon's back, unsheathing his knife and plunged it into the back of the demon's head.

"Damn it," cursed Xander. He did that purely on instinct. He meant to threaten the demon and get more information on what the _L'enfer Noblisse_ were up to. Bracing a foot against the demon's skull he pulled his knife out. He cleaned the knife on the demon's clothes before he had an idea and patted the demon down. He found no weapons on the demon, though the armor was kind of nice. He did, however, find a bagful of gold coins and a wanted poster of him, of all things. Xander stared at the unrolled piece of parchment bearing an artist's rendition of him. He didn't know whether to spaz out from joy that _he_ had his _own_ wanted poster or start freaking out the he had his own _wanted_ _poster_. He rolled up the parchment and stuffed it into the bag of coins as he searched for his wayward hammer.

It didn't take long for Xander to resume his patrol. Three more vampires fell to his hammer before he decided to call it a night. The walk home netted him another vampire who assumed he was a construction worker coming home from a late shift. Somehow it didn't even occur to the vamp that someone carrying a sledgehammer would use it against an attacker. Xander let himself into the house. Closing the door he turned to yell a greeting when he stilled.

"God damn it! Are you two at least wearing clothes!" he yelled. There was silence for a moment before Jenny's voice came from behind the couch.

"Not really," she replied softly.

"I am going back outside," bit out Xander as he kept a firm reign on his emotions. "You have one minute to go to your room then I'm coming back in and heading immediately to my room where I will lock myself in until tomorrow morning."

"Uh," came Giles hesitant voice, "there's still your debriefing…"

"We'll do that when _you're_ **not** debriefed!" said Xander as he slammed the door. Giles and Jenny poked their heads over the back of the couch.

"Come on, England, you have to get back to work."

"I assure you that it was not a terrible burden at all. In fact I am quite eager to get back there."

"Uh-uh, you'll be going 'down there' once we're upstairs. No 'back there' action for you until after the fourth date."

"Urk!"

Jenny's throaty laughter faded up the stairs.

***BTVS***

"Uh, Xander, about last night-"

"Just keep it in your room, okay. Or leave a necktie on the doorknob or something," grumbled Xander as he stuffed his face.

"I," Giles paused before he clicked his mouth shut. "Alright. Um, patrol?" asked Giles hopefully, wanting desperately to change the subject.

"Got some vamps, nothing real special until a Vahrall blindsided me. Knifed it in the back of the head."

"A Vahrall?" asked a surprised Giles. "Was this retaliation for the, um, _team_ you killed before?"

"No," said Xander as he set his bounty on the table. "He had this on him."

Giles reached in and pulled out the parchment but stared at the gold coins inside. "My word," he said as he pulled out a coin and examined it.

"That's not the real special part, although," said Xander as he scratched at his chin, "if you could get me some cash for most of that I'd appreciate it."

"I'll see what I can do," answered Giles as he set the coin down and unrolled the parchment. "Most of that can go through a broker I kn-"

"That's really something, isn't it?"

"They've put a bounty on your head?"

"Looks like."

Giles stared at Xander as he calmly resumed eating. Was the boy mad? "Xander, this is a matter of some concern."

"You think so?" asked Xander in confusion.

"Yes, I most certainly do!"

"Doesn't Buffy have, like, a permanent hit on her head?"

"Uh, well, the fact is…"

"How is my situation different than hers?"

"She has the reputation of the Slayer to protect her!"

"Then I'll just need to build up the reputation of the Hunter."

"Then bigger threats will come up seeking to challenge your growing acclaim!"

"Again I ask you, how is this any different than Buffy's situation?"

Giles opened his mouth to answer and found himself without a counter-argument.

"Every victory Buffy has will just make her more tempting to some bad guy out there trying to build his own rep by talking down the big guy on the block. Now we won't just be picking off her stragglers, I'll have challengers of my own."

"This doesn't concern you?"

"I'll just hammer them into mush, along with _everything else we have to fight_. You know, that whole fighting against the forces of darkness gig we're in?"

"Ah, yes, well, yes." Giles considered the situation objectively for a moment. Xander was fully committed to this battle. With every victory over a demon of some renown his reputation in the underworld would only grow. It was inevitable that he would be targeted specifically. "I would counsel increased caution but the fact of the matter is that unless we receive word of a specific threat we shall have to maintain our current level of awareness."

"You think that some of these guys might come after us during the daytime?"

"No, there are very few, um, _Deadites_, that can act during the daylight hours. Your senses have been particularly useful in ferreting out paranormal beings."

"I'll try and keep an eye, er, _nose_ out. Non-human's tend to stand out for the most part."

***BTVS***

"This is so unfair," pouted Buffy as she, Willow, and Xander toured the museum with their school group.

"I know!" agreed Willow emphatically, "Xander's just trying to do the right thing and keep people safe and now people are trying to kill him!"

"Uh, I was talking about the exchange student coming to live at my house," said Buffy while she looked askance at Willow. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, someone put a bounty on my head."

Buffy stared at Xander as he leant over a Viking shield and sword on display in the museum. Was he joking? "Are you joking?"

"You remember that demon, _Guillaume_?" asked Xander in a passable French accent.

"Uh," Buffy scrunched up her forehead in thought.

"He made us fight in the cage for the Pergamum Codex?"

"Oh, that guy! He was totally snooty."

"Yeah, well, his snootiness has apparently put a bounty on my head that a Vahrall tried to collect last night."

"Are you alright?" asked Buffy in concern.

"Yeah, it was no big. He tackled me, I knifed him in the base of the skull, I went home the champion," said Xander with a shrug.

"How'd you get him in the back of the head if he tackled you?"

As Xander explained the finer details of the fight to an attentive Buffy, Willow persuaded Rodney Munsen to cease defacing one of the museum exhibits.

"Who was that?" asked Buffy as Willow came back from talking with Rodney.

"That's Rodney Munsen. He's God's gift to the bell curve. What he lacks in smarts he makes up in lack-of-smarts."

"Xander," admonished Willow, "You just don't like him 'cause of that time he beat you up every day for five years."

Buffy giggled at Xander as he turned a sour look on Willow. "Yeah, I'm irrational that way," he said sarcastically before joining the rest of the group to check out the mummy exhibit.

***BTVS***

Xander surreptitiously watched Buffy train with Giles. At least, he hoped it was surreptitiously and not supra-titiously, or whatever the opposite word was. Giles had wanted to test Buffy's progress himself after he raised concerns that Xander may be holding back in their spars.

Unfortunately his concerns were valid and so Xander was now forced to memorize demons and their traits and weaknesses during his get-sweaty-with-Buffy-time. Damn watchers and their watching!

"So can I go?" asked Buffy hopefully.

"I think not," answered Giles sternly as he braced the practice pad he was holding. With Xander present they were beginning to become lax in their wariness and training. Honestly, between Buffy's lack of commitment and Xander's kowtowing to Buffy's desires it's a miracle their skills hadn't become dulled during the recent lull in activity.

Buffy landed four hard hits on the pad in quick succession. Giles tried not to wince but only managed to hold it to a simple grimace as he exchanged the pad he was holding for a much larger one.

"How come?" she asked with a pout. Xander couldn't help but be drawn to the way her lower lip jutted out and quivered so scrumptiously…

"Because you are the Chosen One," answered Giles with restrained annoyance.

Buffy hummed sourly. "Just this once I'd like to be the Overlooked One," she said as she sulked.

"Well, I'm," Giles searched for the right word, "afraid that is not-"

Buffy's thrusting sidekick smashed the pad into Giles shoulder and knocked him back several steps.

"You have responsibilities that other girls do not," said Giles quickly as he tried to ignore the pain in his shoulder.

"Oh! I know this one!" said Buffy facetiously. "Slaying entails certain sacrifices, blah, blah, bitty blah, I'm so stuffy, gimme a scone."

"It's as if you know me," said Giles sarcastically. Buffy kicked at the pad roughly.

"Your secret identity is," he paused as he braced himself after nearly losing his footing, "going to be difficult!" A particularly strong kick knocked some of the wind out him. He leaned into Buffy's attacks even further. "Difficult enough to maintain," another particularly strong attack made him wince as his shoulder now continuously throbbed, "while this exchange student is living with you."

A hand on her ankle kept Buffy from making her next attack. "Chill," said Xander to her seriously as he stepped between them. "And you, don't you think this is a little much?"

"No I do not," answered Giles emphatically. "You are both now targets and we must prepare accordingly. Your training is vital to your survival," said Giles vehemently.

Xander, taken aback by his tone, dropped Buffy's ankle and slunk over to the counter. "Alright, damn."

"Maintaining your calling a secret is **also** critical to your survival," Giles told Buffy with a glare.

"So! I think going to the dance like a normal person would be the best way to keep that secret," suggested Buffy, before she began to plead. "Giles, come on, budge! No one likes a non-budger."

Giles stared down at Buffy and said nothing. Buffy frowned before she skipped back and then leapt forward with a spin that clearly telegraphed a very powerful kick.

"Fine!" yelled Giles before Buffy could launch her attack. She stared at him over her raised foot. "Go," he muttered in defeat.

"Yay!" said Buffy with a smile and a clap, "I win."

Giles let the pad slump to the ground as he cradled his shoulder. "I'll just go and introduce my shoulder to a, an icepack."

"So, I guess we're dance-bound," said Xander in an exaggerated casual tone as he walked over to Buffy. "Cool. Do you…" Xander stared down for a moment before he took a bracing breath. "Do you want to go with?"

"I thought you would take Willow?" asked Buffy in order to avoid the question. Did Xander just ask her out?

"Well of course we can take Willow, but I'm not going to take Willow in the sense of _take me_ take. Without you it would just be the two of us."

"Ah, and we enter dateville," said Buffy with a knowing smile. He was just afraid of damaging his friendship with Willow. "Romance, flowers..."

"Lips," answered Xander automatically as he stared at Buffy's lips. The entire library always smelled of her after she trained. Xander stared at a particular drop of sweat as it escaped her brow and trailed down her smooth cheeks and around her jaw before flowing down the smooth skin of her neck. It quivered for a moment on the edge of her collarbone before it crested the edge and trailed down her chest…

Buffy looked past Xander and saw Willow quietly enter the library. Her friend was always quiet the first few minutes she was in the library, despite knowing that she wouldn't disturb anyone no matter how loud she was. Buffy caught Willow's eye then turned and asked Xander loudly, "Oh, come on! In all the years you've know Willow, you've never thought about her lips?"

"Buffy, I love Willow." Willow's wide grin transformed the shy pleasant girl into something bright and beautiful. "And I'm a teenager so yes, I've thought about her lips and, uh, other things." Buffy grinned at the matching blushes on her two best friend's faces. "But Willow's family. She's like my sister," he said seriously. "Which makes her **not** the kind of girl I let myself have thoughts like that about. I _love_ Willow but I'm not _in_ love with her." Willow's smile disappeared and she once again retreated into herself.

"Are you sure?" asked Buffy skeptically.

"I'm certain. I'm not in love with Willow," Xander glanced away shyly before he gazed at Buffy intensely, "but I'm pretty sure I **am**-"

"Hey guys!" interrupted Willow not wanting Xander to finish his statement. Xander whirled around and smiled at her.

"Willow, hey, how's it going? We were just talking about happy things." Xander wondered how much she overheard. Behind his back, Buffy mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Willow who meekly nodded as Xander drew her into a one-armed hug. "Like going to the dance. See, happy?" Willow doesn't smile at him. "Not happy?"

"No. Uh, oh, y-yes. No," Willow shook her head and changed the subject entirely. "Rodney's missing."

Giles stepped out of his office and looked sadly at Xander for a moment. There was an icepack wrapped to his shoulder. "Trouble with Mr. Munson again?"

"His parents say he never came home last night," said Willow morosely. How could she get Xander to love _her_?

"Y'know," said Buffy as she scrunched up her face in thought, "I don't think I remember seeing Rodney on the bus back from the field trip."

"I didn't either," said Willow. "I hope he didn't get in trouble at the museum."

Xander chuckled as a random thought occurred to him. "Hey, maybe he awakened the mummy," he suggested laughingly.

Willow giggled at the absurd thought, "Right, and it rose from its tomb," she added sarcastically.

"And attacked him!" added Buffy with a smile. Even Giles laughed at the suggestions. Slowly their laughter petered out as the four of them turned to slowly stare at where the hellmouth had been opened in the spring.

***BTVS***

"It might _not_ be an evil Incan mummy?" suggested Willow hopefully.

"It was the mummy," said Xander firmly. "We're going to go in there, find no mummy and that seal thing broken."

"Seal?" asked Giles sharply. Xander nodded.

"Yeah, they buried her with a plate," answered Buffy. Giles and Xander raised a brow at her before turning back to each other.

"Some kind of talisman that was supposed to keep her undisturbed," explained Xander to Giles. "The tribe sacrificed her to protect the others," recited Xander as best he could remember.

"Right," said Giles as he led the group up to where the coffin was displayed. "It may be possible Mr. Munson is simply skiving class but let's rule out any curses first, shall we?"

"One day I'm going to live in a town where evil curses are just generally ruled out without even saying," grumped Buffy as they crested the miniature step pyramid built for the museum display.

"It appears the seal is broken," said Giles as he looked into the coffin.

"Does that mean the mummy's loose?" asked Willow fearfully.

"Nope, it's right there," said Buffy as she pointed at the desiccated corpse in the coffin. Giles reached in pulled up the largest piece of the broken seal. Xander frowned. There was something odd here. He opened his mouth to speak when he smelled someone coming up behind him.

He spun around and spotted a large tanned man in a white shirt and brown pants just as he swung a knife down at Xander. Xander grabbed the man's hand and squeezed. The man screamed in pain as his bones felt like they were being crushed. His knife fell from his grasp and it clattered loudly down the side of the pyramid. As the man cradled his hand Xander grabbed the man around the jaw and lifted him into the air and dangled him over the side of the pyramid. The man's eyes widened in fear as his feet dangled in the air.

"Hey!" yelled Xander to grab the man's attention. "How about you calm your happy ass down and explain why you just tried to shank me, alright?" The man couldn't nod but it was clear from his expression that he intended to cooperate. Xander brusquely dropped the man between him and Buffy. The man sat against the side of the coffin as he caught his breath.

"Who are you? What do you want?" asked Buffy sharply as the man recovered. He was about to turn a sneer in her direction when Xander crouched down and growled at him. The man stilled as fear filled him once again.

"What are you?"

"I'm Batman," growled out Xander. The man stared at him blankly while Willow and Buffy giggled. Giles rolled his eyes at his charge.

"Who?" Xander cursed inwardly as his joke fell flat, again!

"You first _bandito_," said Xander firmly.

"I, I am the guardian of the mummy. It is my purpose to ensure the she does not rise from her slumber." Xander stared at the man before he shared a glance with his pride.

"We're on the same side, dumbass," said Xander as he pulled the man to his feet.

"But you broke the seal!"

"It was broken when we got here!" yelled back Buffy.

"Yes, one of their schoolmates has gone missing. We were investigating the curse on the mummy to ensure that there was not a supernatural reason for the child's disappearance," said Giles.

The man slowly picked himself up and looked at the Scoobies warily. "You fight against the darkness?"

"Of course, I'm the Slayer."

The man eyed Buffy skeptically. "You are the chosen one?"

"Give him a demo Buff," said Xander distractedly as he examined the coffin. Something smelled different here than yesterday. But what was it? Buffy grabbed the man by his large belt buckle and hoisted him into the air.

"Alright, I believe you," he said in a squeaky voice. Willow had wandered over next to Xander in the meantime.

"What are you looking for?"

"Something's different here. The mummy smells different," said Xander as he continued sniffing over the body.

"Um, did your people have orthodontists?" Willow asked the guardian.

"Of course they do! We aren't savages!"

"I believe she meant when the girl was first interred," said Giles as he leaned over the coffin.

"Oh! Of course we didn't!"

"Then this isn't her," said Willow as she pointed at the Mummy's mouth where a set of braces could clearly be seen.

"Xander, what are you doing?" Buffy nearly shrieked. Xander was sniffing an ancient piece of cloth he plucked from within the coffin.

"Getting a scent," he told her with a raised brow. "What did you think I was doing?"

"Oh," said Buffy as she blushed. "I thought you were going to eat it or something," she mumbled.

Xander gaped at her for a moment. "Do I _look_ like a special needs kid to you?"

"Sorry."

Xander slapped his hand to his forehead. "Forget about it. Let me try and catch the mummy's scent."

Xander closed his eyes and concentrated on the scent from the cloth. Beyond the dust there was a very strong scent of decay. Beyond that was another scent, a female scent. Maybe if he took a cloth from a different place- there it is!

"Come on," he said to the others as he leapt down from the top of the pyramid and landed in a deep crouch, "I have her scent!"

"Wait up!" cried Willow as the other three bounded down the stairs after Xander. Giles stopped and jogged back up the stairs before giving a hand and guiding Willow down, as a proper gentleman should. "Thank you Sir Giles," said Willow warmly.

"Yes, well, let's go," said Giles as he awkwardly pushed up his glasses.

***BTVS***

"We're getting close, she should be over here," said Xander as he sniffed the air.

"At the bus depot? Oh! I was supposed to pick up Impata from here!" cried Buffy.

"I am Impata," said a beautiful tanned girl with long black hair.

"Really?" asked a surprised Buffy, "I thought you were supposed to be a guy?" Before Impata could answer, Willow, Giles, and the guardian rounded the corner.

"You!" cried Impata as she spotted the guardian.

"You must return to your slumber!"

"No, I will not go back, you cannot make me!" cried Impata as she stepped back. The guardian leapt forward and grabbed her by the arm. Impata pulled him into a rough kiss.

"Uh, was anyone expecting them to make out?" said Xander in confusion.

"Didn't think he was _that_ kind of bodyguard," quipped Buffy.

"Hey, does that make him a _bad_ mummy f-"

"Shut your mouth!" responded Buffy with a grin.

"But I was talking about Shank," Xander sang back.

"I can dig it," added Willow mock thoughtfully.

"Well I don't think _he_ is!" cried Giles in alarm. The three friends turned toward Impata who was now holding the desiccated corpse of the guardian in her arms. She let him fall to the floor and he shattered into pieces.

"I am sorry, but I cannot let you live," said the mummy. She stepped forward. The Scoobies stepped back as one.

"Uh, how do we beat her?" asked Xander.

"Uh, by, uh, _beating_ her, I think," said Giles as he wracked his brain for a mummy's weaknesses.

"Okay then, I'm up," said Buffy as she launched a full force kick at the mummy's chin. The mummy's head snapped back violently with a loud crack before she fell bonelessly to the floor.

"Is it just me or was that a tiny bit anticlimactic?" asked Xander as he watched the now-twice dead body.

"I kind of feel gypped myself," said Willow looked away from the normal looking corpse.

"I guess I was expecting mummy strength or something," said Buffy as she stared at the girl. If she hadn't seen her kill the guardian she'd look just like any other sixteen year old girl.

"I think, except for the curse, she was a perfectly normal girl," said Giles. There was a dull crunching and squishing sound that drew everyone's attention downward. The mummy's head jerked back into place and they watched as it seemed to settle back onto her spine. A moment later her dull lifeless eyes focused on Buffy and she leapt from the floor. Buffy and Willow shrieked as Giles muttered a "Good lord!"

Xander stepped forward and grabbed the mummy around the head as she passed him. He pulled her back, away from the others, before he twisted her head, breaking her neck once again. He let her fall to the ground. "Okay, how do we make sure she stays down this time?" Xander looked down in time to see her body rot away and become a desiccated corpse once more. "Oh, all it took was one more break," he said.

"Y'know, I was feeling kinda weird when she looked normal but now I feel okay," said a relieved Buffy.

"Yes, it's much easier to deal with killing non-human beings than it is with killing members of your own species. Particularly in your case, Buffy," he paused for a moment before he turned to Xander, "and yours as well, since both of you have abilities that put you far beyond the norm."

Another cracking and squishing sound drew everyone's attention back to the mummy. Xander smashed the head with his foot instead of watching the mummy once again regenerate. "You think it'll come back from that?"

The Scoobies exchanged looks with one another. "Let's just wait, shall we?" suggested Giles.

***BTVS***

"So are you coming?" Buffy asked Willow.

"I don't know Buffy. It's obvious he wants to go with you instead of me."

"You just have to make him notice you," offered Buffy.

Willow snorted at her. "When? After he's gone out with every other girl in the world? I can choose to wait for him or I can get on with my life," she said with conviction.

"Good for you, Willow," Buffy congratulated her friend.

"Well, I didn't choose yet," Willow told Buffy shyly.

"Come on, Willow," pleaded Buffy, "You have to make a stand; either go after Xander or try and find someone else."

"But, you heard Xander; he isn't in love with me."

"But he does love you Willow, you just have to change how he sees you."

"Or get him to commit incest," said Willow bitterly.

"Yeah, you just have to get him," began Buffy enthusiastically before she scrunched up her face in disgust "Ew! Willow!"

"Oh shut up," groused Willow. Buffy stared at her friend in surprise before she giggled. Willow joined in a moment later.

"Alright, enough about Xander, let me see your outfit for the dance!"

"I got the totally coolest outfit!" exclaimed Willow brightly.

"Alright, go into the spare room to change and I'll change in here. That way we can surprise each other with our outfits!"

A few minutes later Willow walked back into the room. The two friends stared at each other in shock. Willow was dressed as a traditional Inuit, complete with spear. Buffy was dressed as a belly dancer.

"Buffy!" cried Willow with a sense of betrayal.

"Willow!" cried Buffy in dismay.

Willow frowned and looked down at her bulky and concealing outfit. It was almost the exact opposite of Buffy's formfitting and revealing attire.

"I think you missed the point Will."

"What, that the cultural celebration dance was meant to be a display of the dress of various cultures from around the world?"

"Exactly, you totally forgot about the dance part! Aren't you hot in that?"

"I am perfectly snug," pouted Willow. "Aren't you cold in that?"

"I expect that dancing will warm me up," said Buffy dryly.

"Oh, and who were you expecting to dance with?" asked Willow with a frown.

"I was going to go there and see who caught my eye," said Buffy with a shrug as she turned away from Willow's glare. She had been expecting Xander to be her primary dance partner. Although they hadn't really danced again after that night in the Bronze when she totally embarrassed herself.

"You were totally going to dance with Xander!"

"I wasn't!"

"Oh, come on, Buffy, you really expect me to believe you'll let some random guy grope you when you can dance with someone you trust?"

"That's not fair Willow! I can't help how he feels about me."

"Sure you can, you can just not dress like a floozy around him."

"A floozy!"

Willow flopped onto Buffy's bed. "How am I supposed to get Xander to notice me when he has you," said Willow hoarsely. Buffy heard the tears in her voice, however.

"Oh, honey, you know I don't feel that way about Xander."

"He doesn't make you feel all tingly and warm?" asked Willow skeptically.

"Of course not!"

"Not even when he's saving your life when you're on patrol? Or getting all sweaty and physical in the library together!"

Buffy turned away from her. "Willow! We're sparring! As in causing each other bodily harm! That is so not a turn-on." Even though it totally was.

Willow glared at Buffy. Buffy began to fidget under her glare. "You know I'm rooting for you Willow."

"You want me to move on from Xander!"

"You brought it up first!"

"Well then fine! If you want him you can have him. I'll just go console Angel!"

"What! Oh, I don't think so missy…" Buffy trailed off as she stared at her red-faced friend. "Why are we arguing?"

"Because I don't have a sexy dress to the dance and you do!"

"Well, we still have time. Let's get you one!"

"I, **no**, that's a bad, a bad idea, no, no no-"

"Come on Wills, we're going shopping!"

***BTVS***

The afternoon of the dance found Xander parking Giles' car in front of Buffy's house. Despite his many repeated subtle, and not so subtle, attempts, Giles refused to get rid of his classic hunk of junk.

"Alright Wills, were here. Sure you don't want to ride in the front?"

"No, I'm good."

"Alright then my fair lady, I'll be glad to be your chauffer for the evening," said Xander as he stepped out of the car. "You coming?" he asked Willow who was still sitting in the back.

"No, that's alright, I'll wait here," she answered with a smile.

"Suit yourself," Xander laughed and pointed his fingers at Willow, "Cause you already did!"

Willow stared at him before she cocked an eyebrow.

"Alright, that was totally lame," said Xander as he straightened up before he headed to the Summers' front door. A few moments after he rang the doorbell, Joyce answered the door.

"Xander, wow, you look good," she said as she examined Xander. Xander bowed deeply to her.

"Truly you are the better view by far, _señorita_."

"Thank you," replied Joyce with a smile, a sudden stomping on the stairs drew both their attentions upward. "And here comes Buffy now."

The smile on Xander's face froze in place as a lovely vision in silk and lace made its way down from heaven's grace to alight upon the mortal plane. At least, that's what Xander wished he could have said. What actually came to mind was an abrupt and complete seizure of all but the basest biological functions as his brains dribbled out his ears.

"Woah," said Buffy as she eyed her male best friend. He was dressed all in black with a red sash tied around his waist. A rapier hung from his belt along with a bullwhip. The long cape flapped behind him, tied around his shirt's open collar. He was holding his gold embroidered hat in his gloved hand as he looked at her through the holes in the mask tied around the top of his head.

Buffy unconsciously licked her lips as she looked him up and down in the skin tight Zorro outfit. She caught herself when her mother started chuckling at her. She blushed a bright red. "Hey, Xander," she managed to mutter. She looked up at her friend when he didn't respond. "Xander?"

A lifetime passed for Xander before the voice again came. "Xander?"

"I think you broke him, dear."

"Well, how do I un-break him?"

"Giggle."

"You can**not** be serious."

"Try it."

A light tinkling sound broke the spell Xander was held under.

"Beautiful," he breathed hoarsely. Buffy blushed brightly under his scrutiny. She was wearing a blue belly dancer outfit. She pulled the blue shawl around herself a bit more tightly as Xander's eyes raked over her form.

"S-s-so did you already pick up Willow?"

"Yeah, she's in the car," he answered absently as he continued to drink her in.

"Okay gotta go see ya Mom!" she said quickly before practically racing out to the car. Xander followed her with his gaze.

"Xander." He jumped and spun when Joyce called his name.

"Yes?" he answered, slightly bewildered from his previous examination of Buffy.

"My daughter needs you to keep her safe," she told him seriously.

Xander looked down and away from her. "Buffy doesn't need me."

Joyce reached out and gently tugged on Xander's chin until he was looking into her eyes. "Buffy's a teenager. She doesn't know what she wants much less what she needs. But I know she needs _you_ to keep her safe. _I_ need you to keep her safe. Will you protect her?"

"With my life." Joyce found no trace of deceit in Xander's face.

Joyce fiddled with the collar of his outfit before she patted his cheek. "You're a good boy Xander."

"Thanks," he said with a sad smile. "But you know what happens to good boys and nice guys in the end."

"Oh, cheer up Xander. Sometimes they don't finish last. And you don't always have to be a nice guy."

"Okay, Mrs. Summers. I'll have Buffy back around ten-ish?"

"Eleven-ish is okay, if she's with you."

"But Mrs. Summers, who knows what two teenagers could get up to!" he said with an exaggerated waggle of his brows.

"I _know_ you wish, now go get them Zorro."

"Yes ma'am." Xander turned sharply, causing his cape to flourish around him. As arrived at the car he found Buffy and Willow sitting in the back. He could just make out their conversation.

"I couldn't wear something like that Buffy!"

"Willow, you promised you would at least try! How are you going to get Xander to notice you if you're all bundled up like that!"

"So I should have dressed like you?"

"You would have totally blown his mind Wills. How else are you going to get on his radar? And did you see his outfit?"

"Yeah, he's totally sexy," giggled Willow.

"Even my _Mom_ saw that Willow. If you don't make a move on Xander someone else at the dance might."

"What! Really!"

"You've heard all the same gossip I have ever since the shopping trip. Harmony has been thinking of making a move, which is _so_ not gonna happen, but so is Audrey!"

"No! She's a fellow geek, she wouldn't do that to me. She knows Xander's mine."

"Well you better stake your claim soon or one of them'll beat you to the punch."

Xander clenched his fist so tightly the leather of his gloves creaked loudly as he made his way around the front of the car. It seemed that he wasn't on Buffy's radar at all. She was still trying to set him up with Willow.

He smiled woodenly at the two girls as he slid into the car with care for his cape. He looked into the rearview mirror from Buffy's beautiful open smile to Willow's shy and cute smile. Part of him roared that Buffy should be his. Another part suggested that Willow was already his if he just made a move. Another part, even louder than the others, said that they were both his and he should mount them right now.

Xander tried desperately to not pay any attention to that part of himself.

"So, you two ladies ready for a good time?" he asked them as he waggled his head and shoulders to a beat only he could hear.

"Sure!" chirped Willow, glad to have been included in the question.

"To the dance, Jeeves!" ordered Buffy with a regal wave of her hand. Xander started up Giles' clunker and drove as smoothly as he could to the dance.

"Ugh, when is Giles going to replace this thing," said Buffy as she scrunched her nose at the car.

"It's a comfy car."

"It's a hunka hunka burning junk you mean. Or at least it should be," muttered Xander.

"Seriously, how can Miss Calendar keep dating a guy with a car like this?"

Xander was desperately tempted to make some joke about the two adult's love life. However, Miss Calendar had already asked him to keep his knowledge about their relationship to himself. His promise to her trumped his need to needle Giles.

"I think she likes Giles and his 'Oh I'm very British and proper' attitude," suggested Willow.

"So she likes them stuffy?"

"Or she likes getting stuffed."

"Xander!" came the chorus from both girls. Xander cringed as Buffy swatted him on the shoulder.

"I _so_ did not mean to say," he muttered as he prayed for a distraction.

A foot crashing through the windshield from the figure that just landed on the car served as an answer to his prayers.

Well that's the last time he ever prayed to anybody! Unless they would like to send beautiful naked women down from the sky? Xander looked up at the sky through the windshield. The grey demon with the black curved bullhorns snarled at him as it pulled out his foot.

Definitely not praying again. Stupid Hellmouth!

Xander dropped the car down a gear and gunned the engine. It groaned in protest as it surged forward. The Demon scrambled for purchase on the roof of the car. When the car _finally_ hit forty, Xander slammed on the brakes as he pulled on the emergency breaks. The tires of the car squealed as everyone was tossed forward. Fortunately, the three passengers in the car were wearing their seatbelts. The demon on the hood was not. Xander clambered out of the car as Buffy followed him. The demon was woefully unscathed from his roll on the asphalt.

"You'll make a nice snack," it growled as it charged forward. Xander leapt forward and met his charge with a front kick that sent the demon sprawling back. Its eyes widened at his unexpected strength. "You are the Hunter!"

"What?" unfortunately his shocked stare was all the confirmation the demon needed.

"The peerage will pay me handsomely for your head!" the demon yelled as he unsheathed a large battle axe.

Xander and Buffy both quickly sized up their current foe. He was larger than either of them, though not by much in Xander's case. He was also wearing what appeared to be leather armor.

"Too bad no one will pay me anything for yours!" yelled Xander as he unrolled the bullwhip.

"Do you know how to use that?" whispered Buffy fervently to him.

"Not really," he whispered back as he sent the whip flying at the demon, cracking it against the axe the demon blocked with.

"Then give it here," she ordered as she took the whip from him. Buffy spun forward and began an intricate dance that sent the whip slicing through the air. Xander stared at her for a moment. The fluidity of her movements, her contortions and the swinging of her limbs were almost hypnotic in her current dress. The predator in him relished the casual and beautiful way she wielded such violence.

The demon sported several gashes on his arms and several tears to his leather armor. He'd tried to cut or ensnare the whip several times to no avail. "Damn you, Slayer!" he cursed, recognizing Buffy for what she was. He finally lopped off the last quarter of the whip. Grinning, he closed in on Buffy.

"Over here bitch!" The demon spun as Xander thrust his rapier at the demon's face. The demon blocked the telegraphed attack with his axe. The force of the blow nearly knocked the axe into the demon's face. Quickly swinging his axe up and away from him, the demon brought it down on Xander who spun away from the blow.

With one hand fisted in his cape to keep it out of the way, Xander was able to whip the trailing edge of it into the demon's eyes as he spun completely around and thrust his rapier into the demon's heart. The demon staggered back from the attack and Xander pulled his blade free. The demon raised his axe again when Buffy leapt up and wrapped the whip around the axe. She pulled it free of the demon's grasp once again. The demon spun around to grab for his axe when Xander took his head. Quickly wiping his sword on the demon's pants he sheathed his rapier and patted down the demon.

"What are you looking for?"

"Loot and to see if he has another of those wanted posters," said Xander as he unclipped a bag from the demon's belt. "Score!" he cried as he held the bag of gold coins open for Buffy to look into.

"Ooh! Shiny!" she said as she plucked a coin from the bag.

"Half of this is yours," said Xander as he collected the coin from her and secured the bag to his belt. The demon suddenly melted into goo.

"Oh, yuck!" cried Buffy as she danced away from the rapidly vanishing goo. "I hate it when I'm not expecting that."

"You know, I'm going to chalk this night up in the Good column."

"Giles is going to freak when he sees his windshield."

"Ah, he'll understand. A demon did attack us after all. And I'm pretty sure this'll more than cover it," said Xander as he patted the bag of gold coins.

Willow exited the car as they neared it. "Are you two okay?"

"Sure, not a scratch on us," said Buffy with a smile.

"Flawless victory," intoned Xander before he stiffened. He whirled to his right, startling Buffy and Willow. "Fire demon!" he yelled as he pointed over the roof of the car. A large gout of flame burst out of the darkness.

Willow screamed as Xander grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.

"Take her out of here while I-"

"No! Remember last time! Just run!" yelled Xander as he pulled her along. Buffy finally burst into a run and made for the park on the other side of the street from the fire demon. The demon chased them for five minutes before it suddenly melted.

Tired and sweaty, the three of them made their way back to Giles' car.

"You just had to say it, didn't you!" accused Buffy with her hands on her hips.

"I didn't know it would jinx us like that!"

"This is the hellmouth Xander! You should know better than that!"

Xander stared at the burning and melted piece of metal that used to be Giles' car. "Giles is going to freak," he muttered morosely.

"Oh, he'll understand. A demon did attack us after all," quoted Buffy with a grin. Xander turned a sour look at her before he fingered his singed cape. Buffy likewise examined her slightly burnt skirt. Willow pulled the hood off her parka. She was drenched in sweat.

"Let's get out of this stuff," said Willow as she wiped her forehead with her sleeve.

"Come on, Giles' place isn't that far from here."

"Why go there?"

"Hopefully Miss Calendar is there and can give us a lift."

"Ooh, is something juicy going on?" asked Buffy excitedly.

"Let's find out!" said Xander as he thrust a finger into the air.

***BTVS***

"Come again?" asked Giles as he adjusted his glasses. He was quite certain that Xander had just told him that-

"M'doka fire demon burned down your car."

"Oh," said Giles dully. "Are you unhurt?"

The three teenagers shared a glance with each other as they sat on the couch. "We're fine. Some of our clothes are burnt but we're fine."

"I see," said Giles as he polished his glasses. He put his glasses back on his face and took a deep breath when Jenny placed her fingers on his lips.

"Oh, come on Giles. They didn't mean to destroy your car. Besides, you should be glad to be rid of that thing."

"That _thing_ was a classic car!"

"It was beneath you. Now you can get something that'll fit you. Something _sexy_," she added with a wink. Giles' jaw worked up and down as he stared at her. Jenny deliberately stepped in front of him and turned to face the kids. Xander mouthed 'thank you' to her. Jenny winked at him. "Are you three really alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine," answered Buffy. "Our clothes aren't though."

"I'll give you two a lift home then. I'm assuming you're staying here?" she asked Xander. He frowned for a moment before he turned to Buffy.

"Movie night?" asked Xander as Buffy and Willow stood up.

"Sure, my place?" asked Willow.

"It's a date," answered Buffy as she and Willow walked to the door.

"I'll be back, Rupert," said Jenny as she stepped in front of Giles.

"Sexy?" he asked.

Jenny laughed then kissed him on the side of the mouth. "Oh yes," she answered throatily. She and the other girls were giggling as they left.

"I have more loot," hazarded Xander.

"What?" asked a bewildered Giles. Xander opened the bag and showed him the gold coins.

"Loot!"

"Ah, excellent."

"Half of that is Buffy's. You can use the other half to get yourself a nice car."

"Uh, no, Xander, I assure you, I am more than capable of affording a new vehicle. I'll simply square everything with the insurance company. My car is, um, _was_ worth quite a sum."

"Really? That thing?"

"It was a collector's item," bit out Giles. Xander held his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I believe you." Xander fidgeted nervously for a moment. "So are you going to get something good this time?"

"Xander!"


	10. Boys and Girls

**Chapter 10 – Boys and Girls**

There wasn't a whole hell of a lot to be said about being skewered by a seven foot demon. Fortunately, Buffy had managed to save him from becoming a Xander Kebob by tackling him out of the way. They rolled along the ground then both sprang to their feet.

"Can't believe I lost Mjolnir!" yelled Xander as he turned to face the purple monstrosity that lumbered toward them. It had a yellow stripe going down the middle of its face and a large yellow spike growing out of the back of each hand. He swore if this was the inspiration for the comic he would burn every copy of the Maxx that he had.

"I still have my short sword," said Buffy as she brandished the short sword Giles had specifically requested made for her. Even with the added weight and resilience she hadn't been able to cut very deeply into the demon. Xander had tried to smash its head in but the demon had blocked his attack with a punch from its spike. The force had wrenched his hammer out of his grip.

"Go for the head," he said to Buffy as he maneuvered to catch the demon from its flank.

"Why?"

"It's the only place this thing has defended since we started, probably a weak spot."

"Ah, okay, gotcha."

"I'll distract!" yelled Xander as he rushed forward. He stopped at the last moment as the demon's massive fist crashed down right in front of him. He could feel the impact through his feet. Xander ran up the demon's arm and poked it in the eye as he leapt off its massive shoulder. Despite its massive height it was still wider then it was tall. The demon roared as he passed and clipped him in the hip with one massive fist. Xander spun and careened from the blow, landing fifteen feet away from where he intended. He landed on his back and had all the breath knocked out of him.

"Ny-uk ny-uk," he forced out as he saw Buffy impale her sword through the back of the demon's head. Her sword burst out the front of the skull. The demon swung wildly and Buffy had to leave her sword behind as she leapt back out of range. The demon stumbled and swung wildly around itself. Xander got up and found his hammer. He was contemplating hammering Buffy's sword on the pommel in order to drive it all the way through when the demon collapsed to one knee before toppling over. Buffy sidled up to Xander.

"You think we killed it?" she asked in a whisper.

"I think so. Go over there and poke it," said Xander as he held out his hammer to her.

Buffy's eyes widened and she stepped back from him. "Nuh-uh! It's your hammer, you poke it!"

"It's your kill!"

"That's right, I brought it down and as my loyal sidekick, you have to make sure it stays that way," she said firmly with a nod.

"A, I am not your sidekick and two, he who kilt it must make sure it's dead-eth!"

"You're making that up!"

"Aww, Buff, you don't have to be scared of the demon-"

"Who's scared? I just think poking dead things is gross!"

"Are you kidding me!"

"No, that's totally ew!" Xander continued to stare at her in disbelief. "What? Why do you not want to poke it?"

"Cause that thing almost shanked me twice and my hip hurts like a bitch!"

"Oh," Buffy glanced at the still form of the purple demon. "Well, I think it _is_ dead."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's dead too. Come on, let's get your sword and go home."

"Oh!" said Buffy as her eyes lit up, "Kill of the Night! That makes you the sidekick!"

"I should sidekick you," grumbled Xander as he hobbled over to the demon.

"What was that?" asked Buffy in a mock-threatening tone.

"Nothing, dear."

***BTVS***

"Ah, yes, here it is," said Giles as he set a book down in front of Buffy and Xander. "The Ma'acks. Usually found in the deserts of Australia."

"Are you kidding me?" asked Xander and Jenny at the same time. Giles stared at them in bewilderment.

"What?"

"The Maxx?" asked Jenny leadingly.

"From the Outback?" added Xander.

"Big and purple?"

"With a huge spike on each fist?"

"Yes, that is their description," said Giles in confusion before he turned to Jenny. "And it's pronounced Ma'acks, not Macks."

Xander and Jenny turned to each other before they both sighed. "If only you were a few years younger," muttered Xander.

Jenny smiled at him. "Or you a few years older."

"What do you see in him anyway?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that, a lot of something else," she answered with a wicked grin.

"I-I-I know I shall regret this, but what are you two talking about?"

"Yeah, we're both kind of confused," said Buffy as Willow nodded. Xander scooted over to sit in front of the computer and jiggled the mouse before typing. After the screech of the modem ended Xander typed some more and clicked the mouse several times before he turned the monitor to face the rest of the group.

"Why did you bring up an artist's rendition of the demon, Xander?" asked Giles before reading the title splashed above the drawing, "the Maxx?"

"It's a comic book Rupert," answered Jenny.

"Surely you jest," said Giles.

"It's about…" Xander trailed off as he considered his audience.

"Never mind," sighed Jenny.

"Is this why you tried talking to it?" said Buffy as she leaned over the table to get a better look at the screen.

"Yeah, fat lotta good that did me. My hip still hurts," said Xander as he gingerly rose to his feet at the sound of the bell. Buffy, Willow and Xander gathered their things. As the three students cleared out of the library Giles turned back to the monitor.

"I can't believe someone made a comic book about a Ma'acks. They could have at least used the inspiration for something worthwhile."

"Rupert! You do realize that comics are the modern mythology?" Giles scoffed. "Oh, you may scoff but any competent psychologist will tell you that comic books provide most of modern society with the knowledge of the old archetypes and fables. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Captain America, these aren't characters in a funny book they're the Heracles and Achilles of our time."

"And this is something to be celebrated?" asked Giles skeptically.

"Where do you think Xander gets at least half his suggestions from? All those bright ideas that you wonder why no one else thought of them before?"

"He gets those from comic books?" Giles asked in disbelief.

"The weighted weapons were featured in a Wonder Woman comic that talked about the craftsmanship of the weapons the Amazons used. The Amazons in the comic book being basically a race of Slayers," said Jenny as she collected her things. "And why do you think Xander is so dedicated to this fight? He's merely following Batman's heroic quest."

"Batman? Heroic quest?" asked Giles incredulously. Jenny glared at him for a moment as she started speaking.

When she spoke her voice was sharp and direct. "Batman's parents were killed by criminals. He devotes the rest of his life to fighting crime. He learns the tricks of the trade of detective work, studies martial arts relentlessly, trains his body to a physical peak, and gathers or outright builds the tools he needs. Xander's best friend was killed by vampires. He's devoting his life to fighting supernatural threats. He's learning all the tricks of the trade of demon fighting, studies martial arts relentlessly, trains his body constantly and he's been gathering or outright building the tools he needs." Jenny motioned to the counter where some of Xander's stakes and holy water vials sat. Giles' incredulity melted away as Jenny spoke. Once his face became contemplative, Jenny's tone softened.

"Batman is a melding of a few archetypes but he still follows the same mold of skill and brains that Robin Hood did, or Odysseus before him. You have to learn to keep an open mind about these things, Giles. Sure, the forms are different but the archetypes are still there. Why do you think I read comic books at all? You know my reading habits, do you really think I would devote so much time to a purely puerile pursuit?" she asked before she smirked then added, "and try saying that three times fast."

"I guess I didn't think about it that way," muttered Giles as he sat sullenly on the table. Jenny sighed at Giles. Swinging her bag onto her shoulder she stepped in front of him and stroked his chin before she pushed his head up.

"I'll see you tonight?" she asked him. She laughed joyfully when he smiled at her. She kissed him on the cheek the said, "Tonight then."

"I await your arrival with bated breath." She smiled over her shoulder at him before walking away with a definite sway to her hips as she exited the library.

Giles watched her every step of the way.

***BTVS***

Giles and Xander stared ahead in shock. Slowly, Xander turned to look over at Giles, who was still staring out the windshield in stark disbelief.

"Gi-**il**es," Xander frowned as his voice crack. He swallowed and tried again. "Giles? Giles?"

Giles started then turned to face Xander. "Uh, y-y-yes, Xander?"

"You have to get this car," said Xander with all the gravity he could muster.

"I-i-i-it is a quite, um, ex-expenisve vehicle," said Giles as he shakily pulled his glasses off his face. He wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Giles. Think about what just happened." Xander paused for a moment as Giles shakily placed his glasses back on his face. "You have to get this car."

"I-I-I-I-I," Giles closed his mouth for a moment before he looked down at the steering wheel. A long moment passed before he turned to Xander and grinned. "I think, in this rare instance, you are correct. Shall we see how quickly we can get back?"

"Tell me when to start timing," said Xander as he grinned in return and watched the second hand of his wristwatch.

"Now!" yelled Giles as he gunned the engine. The squeal of tires marked the beginning of their trip.

***BTVS***

Xander couldn't decide if this was the most torturous or most wonderful thing to ever happen to him. He was sandwiched in the back of Giles' brand new BMW M3 and Giles had just finished showing off how awesome the car was. Buffy and Willow were clutching at him in fear. He could feel their breast pressed up against his arms as they both buried their heads in his shoulders. He was desperately keeping from popping a tent. He was slowly losing.

"That! Was! Awesome!" yelled Jenny.

Giles was still flush from the joy of driving such a powerful and precise machine. He turned and smirked at Jenny. "If you thought that ride was fun, you should wait until later," said Giles as he leered at her.

"Fuck later," growled Jenny to the shock of everyone else in the car. She practically ripped off her seatbelt. "Kids. Get. Out." Buffy, Xander and Willow scrambled to exit the vehicle as Jenny pounced on Giles.

Once safely outside the vehicle, the three friends stared at each other for a moment. Willow spoke first, "You don't think they're really…" Willow trailed off as she stared back at the car. Xander and Buffy turned to find Giles and Jenny in a passionate embrace as they rolled over the front seats and collapsed into the back. "Eep!" squeaked Willow.

"Hey, I have, uh, books! Books in the house! Away from here!" cried Xander as he clung to the first excuse to cross his mind.

"Yes! Books!" agreed Buffy. "Inside! Let's go!" The three kids scrambled into the house.

A few minutes later the disheveled forms of Giles and Jenny walked into the living room. "Wow," said Xander as he smirked, "that was quick. Or should I say _premature_?"

"Eww! Xander!" cried Buffy and Willow in unison. Buffy punctuated her disgust with a slap to his shoulder.

"I assure you Xander, Giles is _exceptional_ly mature," said Jenny with a grin.

"Oh, I _so_ did not need to know that," grumbled Buffy. Willow merely blushed so hard she began to take on a purple tint.

Giles seemed poised to overtake Willow in the blush race. "We, we, we realized we may have acted, um, hastily, earlier. Our apologies."

"Just don't do it again," answered Buffy sharply before she huffed and slumped in her seat.

"It's okay, it's just a natural biological function," recited Willow as she stared off into space, pointedly not paying Giles or Jenny much attention.

"One of my future favorites," said Xander with a smirk as he leapt off the couch and out of smacking range. "So what are we going to eat?" The three teens turned expectantly at Giles.

"What?" he asked blankly.

***BTVS***

The next day, Willow and Xander are exiting the front of the school after classes ended.

"Man, I am wiped. And we still have to train with Giles tonight. _And_ patrol."

"Oh, come on, I know you actually _like_ patrolling."

"It does help relieve the stress from working for the man all day."

"Power to the people," said Willow softly as she shyly raised her fist.

"Slow down there Wills before your crazy revolution lands us all in jail," joked Xander. Willow smiled at his gentle teasing.

"So are you taking us out again?" asked Willow hopefully.

"Of course! What kind of Alpha would I be if I didn't provide for my girls? So what'll it be tonight? Dinner? Dancing? Movies?"

"We should ask Buffy," said Willow as they pointed at their friend. "Buffy!" she called they neared their friend.

"Hey there gorgeous," said Xander as he leaned against the railing Buffy was sitting on. Buffy smiled brightly at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing your homework in the library?" asked Willow as she glanced at the lack of space between Xander and Buffy.

"I'm dawdling," said Buffy as she took Xander's arm. Xander grinned as he leaned in closer to her. "With my _friends_," she added as she glanced at Willow over her sunglasses. Xander's jaw clenched for a moment before he decided to pull Willow into a one armed hug with his free arm.

"Works for me!" he cried as he leaned against Buffy and pulled Willow in close. "So," he drawled, "what are we doing tonight?" The three friends were distracted for a moment as Cordelia bumped past Willow.

"Rude much?" said Buffy as she gave Cordelia's retreating back the evil eye.

"Ah, ignore her. So where am I talking my girls tonight?"

"_Your_ girls?" asked an amused Buffy.

Xander arched a brow before he smirked at Buffy, "Well, if you don't want to be one of them then you can pay for-"

"Let's not be hasty," interrupted Buffy quickly, "I never said I didn't want to be. I'm still one of your girls."

"Oh ho!" said Xander facetiously, "I see the dollar signs in your eyes! Why should I take you back?" he asked snootily.

Buffy turned her pout on him. "Don't you love me anymore?"

Xander blushed and turned away. "Of course I do."

"I'm still your girl Xander," interjected Willow. Xander smiled at his oldest friend.

"Always," he said as he kissed her on the top of the head.

"Come on. Richard and his fraternity brother want to meet you," said Cordelia as she grabbed Buffy's hand.

"Well, I don't really want to meet any fraternity boys," said Buffy as she gripped onto Xander's arm. Cordelia pulled at her anyway. Buffy allowed herself to be lead away instead of potentially hurting Cordelia by pulling back.

"And if there was a God, don't you think he'd keep it that way?" said Cordelia sarcastically as she pulled Buffy over to her boyfriend Richard and his friend Tom.

Being practically pressed up to Xander's side, Willow felt him stiffen. "What's wrong?"

"Those guys are giving me the wiggins." She looked up to see a deep frown on Xander's face. She turned back to see Buffy begin to walk away when one of the college boys pursued her. They walked close enough that Xander and Willow could easily overhear their conversation.

"I'm Tom Warner. I'm a senior at Crestwood College, and I," Tom paused and smiled sheepishly, "and I just feel like a complete dolt meeting you this way, so," he crossed his arms uncomfortably, "here I stand in all my doltishness."

"That had to be the worst pick-up line I've ever heard," grumbled Xander. Willow stifled a giggle as she leaned forward to overhear the conversation better.

"I'm Buffy Summers," answered Buffy tentatively.

"Oh, nice to meet you. Are you a Senior here?"

"Junior."

"Oh, me, too," he replied quickly before he made a face. "Except that I'm a Senior and I'm in college. So we have that in common, and," Tom shuffled his feet awkwardly for a moment, "I major in History."

Buffy made a mild tone of dislike as she wrinkled her nose, "History stumps me. I have a hard enough time remembering what happened last week."

Tom shook his head eagerly, "No, nothing happened last week. Don't worry, I was there." Buffy smiled at his joke which made Tom grin back in return.

"Should I intervene?" Xander asked Willow.

"Huh? Why?" she asked him in confusion.

Xander turned to her and raised a brow. "Uh, hello, college guys trolling for jailbait? Not exactly a sterling recommendation for these guys' morals."

"Buffy'll be fine." Xander grunted noncommittally.

"So, uh, my friend invited your friend to a party we're having this weekend." Tom turned to his friend and grimaced, "You know, actually he's not even really my friend. I only joined the fraternity because my father and grandpa were in it before me. You know, it meant a lot to them."

Buffy nodded. Tom continued when she made no response to him, "Oh, I know, I talk too much anyway. They're really dull parties full of really dull people, so... would you like to come and save me from a really dull fate?"

Buffy considered his offer for a moment before she sighed. "Oh, I wish I could, but I'm sort of involved."

Tom's face crumbled before he managed to plant a false smile on his face. "Well, sure, of course you are. Well, thanks for letting me ramble."

Buffy smiled at him encouragingly, "You know, people underestimate the value of a good ramble."

"You're late," said Giles. Willow jumped away from Xander, not having heard the librarian's approach. Xander pulled himself up from where he had been leaning against the railing.

"We're coming right now," Xander answered as he jogged down the steps and strode over to Buffy. "Hey, we gotta go." Buffy turned and spotted Giles at the top of the steps. Giles glared mildly and tapped at his wristwatch. She turned back and smiled at Tom.

"It was nice to meet you."

Tom smiled back. "Same here."

Xander and Buffy walked back up the stairs where an impatient Giles was waiting for them.

"I hope there was a matter of vital importance to explain your tardiness to training?"

"We were just dawdling," answered Xander with a shrug. Giles gaped at him for a moment as Buffy smirked.

"Hurry up," muttered Giles with a defeated sigh.

***BTVS***

Buffy lunged forward and ducked under Xander's straight. Xander spun around the hook she sent at his ribs and sent a hook at her head. Buffy ducked back, letting the blow pass her by. She sent a barrage of punches that Xander blocked as he stepped back, forcing her to extend her attacks as much as possible. The occasional jab kept her from closing in. Buffy spun and tried to catch him through his guard with a mule kick. Xander sidestepped her attack and grabbed her leg. He spun her through the air before tossing her almost ten feet.

Rolling with the landing, Buffy turned and charged back at Xander. Xander dashed forward with a powerful straight. Buffy cart wheeled out of the way. Xander rolled forward as Buffy sent a roundhouse kick at his back. Spinning as he came up Xander launched a front kick at Buffy's stomach as she stepped forward. The rare kick from Xander caught her by surprise and knocked her to the ground. Buffy stared up at Xander in surprise. Xander grinned as he danced back a few steps before miming licking his finger and marking a point on an invisible board. Buffy frowned at him before she exploded to her feet.

Xander covered up as Buffy bombarded him with punches. He swayed as best as he could to avoid being tagged fully. Buffy's pace picked up and Xander was forced to turtle up even further. When Buffy's pace picked up again Xander forced his way forward and grabbed Buffy around the waist. He picked her up in order to tackle her to the ground when Buffy pulled herself over his body by his shirt. Xander fell to his knees as Buffy rolled over his back. Xander was taken by surprise when Buffy landed on top of him and wrenched his arm behind his back.

"Give up?" asked Buffy as she pulled on his arm. With his shirt pulled up, Xander had to wrench his attention away from feeling Buffy's breasts pressed into his back. He slid a hand down under his stomach before he pushed up as hard as he could. The strength of his push actually sent both Xander and Buffy into the air four feet from the ground. As they fell, Buffy lost her leverage on his arm and Xander forced his arm from its lock. Xander caught himself as he fell and rolled out from under Buffy. Buffy landed roughly on her hands and knees.

Both combatants sprung to their feet and faced off against each other. Xander led off with a series of jabs. Buffy tried to slip past his jab to close the distance but Xander kept moving back and circling around her. Xander tagged Buffy several times in the side of the head. Buffy began moving faster, trying to get past Xander's fist. Xander stepped up his tempo in order to match her movements. Buffy began to move faster and faster. Xander matched her at every step. Giles, who was observing their sparring, could only see two large blurs chasing each other around.

Eventually a large crack sounded and Xander slammed into the book cage. Buffy hopped on one foot as she massaged her raised foot. Xander pushed himself off the book cage and held his dislocated arm before he grabbed his shoulder and wrenched it into place. Xander ran forward and jumped at Buffy knee first. Buffy side stepped his attack and tagged him in the back with a roundhouse kick. Xander stumbled as he landed. Buffy was on top of him immediately and sent a flurry of kicks and punches at Xander. Xander's arms blurred as he blocked and deflected her attacks.

Once again, Giles marveled at their speed as their arms became a blur of motion. Occasionally he caught a jerk of their bodies and heard the telltale sound of a fist striking flesh. It continued for ten seconds, for twenty seconds. They were rapidly approaching a minute and had continued to get faster at every moment. Suddenly there were a series of loud impacts and Xander flew back from Buffy's outstretched leg. He fell back and through the bottom of the library's counter.

"Ow," deadpanned Xander loudly.

"Ha! That's six spars to me!"

"Are you injured, Xander?" asked Giles in concern as he extracted Xander from the counter.

"I think I bruised my pride," muttered Xander softly. Giles snorted as he suppressed his laughter.

"I dare say that you're in better form than my counter is now."

"Yeah, it wasn't that bad at all."

"Well then, resume your positions," Giles told both of his charges. "One more spar and then you need to patrol."

"Ugh, today isn't my day," muttered Xander softly to himself.

***BTVS***

Today was not his day! Xander cursed again as he escaped the torrent of magma that consumed the streetlight behind him. The metal screeched as it collapsed on itself. The streetlight crashed the bulb bursting with a bang as it hit the ground. Xander scanned the empty street around him. Why was it that when all the big noticeable demons attacked, there was never anyone around?

He brushed his nose again. All he could smell was burnt hair. Burnt _nose_ hair. The smell would have been horrifying if he wasn't faced with imminent melt-y burn-y death. He looked over Mjolnir, examining the slightly charred handle. There wasn't any other damage from his ill-advised smash attack on a magma demon. He shrugged off the remains of his burnt shirt. Thank god for his jacket! That first ranged attack with the flying ball of magma would have killed him if he hadn't been able to shrug off his jacket in time. Unfortunately that attack also took almost all his equipment with it. Too bad he didn't have anti-magma demon tools in his bag.

A gurgle of boiling asphalt made Xander look up. The magma demon was now following him down the street. If his nose wasn't filled with the awful smell of singed hair the foul stench of melted tar would have made him gag. As it was, he ran down another alley as the beast flung another ball of magma at him. Xander looked over his shoulder as he neared the midpoint of the alley. The demon had ceased to resemble a vaguely bipedal humanoid form and now looked like a rushing torrent as it flowed along the ground. For a semi-solid mass of molten rock, that thing could move!

Xander burst out the end of the alley and quickly scanned the street. He snapped back from his examination and stared in front of him in delight. He rushed across the street then turned to face the alley. The demon, sensing him standing still, stopped rushing toward him. Seemingly rising from the pool of magma, a humanoid form stepped toward him. The remaining magma flowed up into the demon, reforming into its humanoid shape as it moved forward. Xander waited until the demon moved into range before he brought his hammer down and smashed open the fire hydrant next to him.

The torrent of water blasted outward, dousing the magma demon. It screamed with the sound of a crackling fire as steam billowed out from where the water was striking it. It was very quickly obscured in a cloud that quickly filled the street. Xander backed away from the burning hot steam. Ten or fifteen seconds later, even though it felt much longer to Xander, the cloud of steam finally blew away to reveal the solid black form of the magma demon. Xander sighed in relief before he wondered exactly how he was going to kill this thing when the demon dissolved into nothing. Xander stared for a moment before shrugging.

"That's a win for me," he said as his body slumped. He momentarily doused his red hands in the fire hydrant's torrent. "Fucking un-smash-able blobs," muttered Xander. He splashed some water onto his back to help cool his still hot skin and checked his eyebrows again to make sure they were still there. He hefted the hammer onto his shoulder and sighed. Hopefully his increased healing factor would take care of all his irritated skin. He looked around the now flooded street and then down at his shirtless body. It was time to call it a night.

He walked down the street toward his home. It was strange how quickly he got used calling Giles' house home, or how quickly he got used to heading there at the end of every day. Xander brushed his nose as he blew a breath out of his nostrils. He hoped that the smell of burnt hair would be out of his nose by tomorrow. Because it smelled terrible!

Looking at the cemetery he was passing Xander idly considered joining up with Buffy on her patrol. He was too tired to do that at the moment, however. Plus, he would have to explain his lack of a shirt.

A blow to the back of his head sent Xander sprawling. He slid along the sidewalk for a moment before he caught himself and rolled to his feet. He spun around to face his attacker. Unfortunately he'd been caught totally by surprise and had dropped his hammer. There was one vampire wearing a long coat across from him. Xander smirked. He could take one vampire easily. Two more vampires, one in jeans and a t-shirt, the other in a large sweater, exited the alley he had passed by just moments ago. Xander frowned. This would certainly be harder. The click of heels on concrete made him turn around. There were three more vampires behind him. One female and two large males, bigger than even him, blocked his path. The two large vampires were dressed almost exactly the same. They could have been twins except one was bald and the other had a long ponytail.

He grimaced as he considered the six vampires surrounding him. No hammer, no stakes, no backup. This could be trouble. A vampire in high heeled motorcycle boots sauntered within five feet of him. She leered over his bare torso and licked her lips. Xander felt vaguely disgusted at her open lust.

"It's a shame the bounty called for your corpse. It could be fun to have you as a minion." She shrugged her jacketed shoulders at him. "Oh well, we'll just have to console ourselves with the bounty on your head." Her expression turned serious as she glanced at the vampires behind Xander. "Kill him."

Xander spun around and let out an ear-splitting roar. The three vampires he faced grabbed at their ears and crumpled to the floor. He started to run toward his fallen hammer when a meaty hand grabbed his shoulder and jerked him back. Xander turned and brought his fist down on Baldy's elbow. The arm reflexively bent as Xander hammered the inside part of the joint. He slammed his foot down on the vampire's instep. The steel toe boots Baldy was wearing prevented the move from crushing his foot as Xander intended. Baldy grinned but Xander was already moving as he spun to his right and let loose with a powerful left uppercut. The blow staggered Baldy and he fell to the floor, dazed.

Ponytail unleashed a powerful front kick to Xander's shoulder that nearly dislocated his arm. Fortunately it only sent him stumbling into the nearby brick wall. Xander run up the wall for three steps before leaping off of it into a diving tackle on Ponytail. Xander hammered Ponytail in the face with repeated punches. He grinned as he felt the bones in Ponytail's cheek give way under his attack.

Taking no chances the lone female lashed out with a kick from her heavy boots. She caught Xander across the face. Xander rolled with the impact. He brushed his nose as he stood up again. There was blood on his hand. And he still couldn't smell anything other than burnt hair! Xander dashed forward with a quick jab-straight combination. Boots managed to block his attack but her lighter frame was pushed back from the strength of his blows. Xander continued his assault, looking to create an opening in her defense. A quick kick to her shin forced her to a knee. A powerful hook sent her sprawling into unconsciousness.

Powerful arms grabbed him around the chest, trapping his arms at his side. Xander immediately bent forward, pulling his assailant over him and straightened, sending his head flying back to smash into someone's face. He turned to see Baldy cradling his crushed nose. Two powerful hooks followed by a punt kick put Baldy down.

A powerful blow smashed Xander into the ground. He rolled as a foot came down. Ponytail stomped down again, trying to crush Xander's head. His face was sunken in on the left side, where Xander had struck him. The vampire paid no heed to the pain he was feeling as he tried to stomp on Xander once more. Xander rolled to his feet and thrust a powerful straight into Ponytail's face. Ponytail grabbed his hand. There was a loud cracking sound and Xander felt some part of the vampire's fist give way. It didn't matter as the vampire used his free hand to land a powerful haymaker. Xander stumbled and tried to keep his feet. He turned back in time to guard against another powerful haymaker. Xander stepped to the vampire's left in an attempt to keep out of range of the vampire's good hand. The vampire, heedless of the damage done, swung his left arm and struck Xander with his forearm like a club. Xander staggered again. He was not expecting that attack at all!

Xander reared back and took in a deep breath. The vampire lashed out with a knife thrust that almost jammed into Xander's throat. It was only Xander's reflexes that allowed him to redirect the blow. Unfortunately this also made him expel the breath he had just taken in. Maybe he had played his card too early? Xander twisted the arm in his hand and brought his free hand down sharply on the locked joint. The vampire screamed as his arm broke. Xander kicked the back of Ponytail's knee. He stepped behind the forcibly kneeling vampire grabbed the chin and the back of the head and twisted. The vampire fell limply to the floor.

Teeth sunk into his shoulder. Xander turned and just barely saw one of the vampires he'd felled with his roar was now feeding on him. He reached over and was about to pull the vampire off of himself when another vamp clamped down on his other shoulder. He felt his strength begin to leave his body and knew he had to act quickly. He was about to spin in order to try and dislodge the feeding vampires when the vampire with the long coat stepped in front of him and punched him in the face. He felt dazed from the blow as the vampire grabbed his head and tilted it back.

Xander roared feebly. His voice didn't carry the power it did before, though the volume was still immense. The vampire in front of him grinned.

"That might have worked if you hadn't already burst our eardrums." He grabbed and tilted Xander's head as he once again moved in to feed. The vampire then burst into dust. Once the dust fell Xander saw Buffy standing in front of him.

"Looks like we just have to burst the rest of you then," she quipped. Xander groaned as the two vampires feeding on him let him drop. He struggled to keep conscious as the sound of fighting drifted down to his prone position. He pushed himself up slowly as he heard the tell-tale sound of a vampire dusting. He looked up in time to see Buffy drive her stake into the vampire wearing the sweater. It burst into dust a moment later.

"Buffy?" he asked, unsure if she had really come or if he was imagining being saved at the final moment. He staggered into the building nearby and tried to hold himself up.

"Be with you in a sec," she said as she staked the three other downed vampires. Hefting his hammer she came over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy," he muttered as he pushed off the wall and wobbled unsteadily on his feet.

Buffy placed a hand on his bicep to steady him. "What happened to your shirt?"

"Got burnt off."

"Burnt off? By what?"

"The Abominable Lava-man."

"Huh?"

"Okay, I admit, this isn't my best material." Xander's words were slightly slurred even as he felt his head clearing as his accelerated healing kicked in. "Let's see if your Pun Fu is that good when you're missing half your blood."

"Xander, are you sure you're okay?" asked Buffy seriously.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Thanks for saving my life." Xander stumbled a bit until Buffy leaned into his side. She pulled his arm around her and helped him to stand.

"Don't mention it. Come on, let's get you home."

"Can you not mention to Giles that I almost died? I don't want him having a fit about it."

"_I'm_ about to have a fit about it! What happened?"

"I was attacked earlier by this demon made out of lava. It hit me with a flying ball of magma. Melted my jacket and shirt when it hit. Almost melted me too."

"But you're okay?"

"Kinda lost my sense of smell for a bit. Burnt hair and all. I still have my eyebrows, right?"

"Yeah, you still have them. Your hair is a little singed on the ends," said Buffy as she brushed the tips of his hair.

"Just great. Today is not my day."

"Same here," mumbled Buffy.

"What happened to you?" Buffy merely shook her head. Xander decided not to press her on why she was feeling down.

"So what was up with the vamps?"

"They managed to get the drop on me since I couldn't smell them coming."

"They thought you'd make a nice meal?"

"Nah, they were hunting me. They wanted to collect the bounty on my head."

"Another one? How much is that bounty? And you should be careful. What if I hadn't heard your roar earlier?"

"These guys just got lucky tonight. And I'm going to make damn sure it never happens again."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Training. Lots of training."

Buffy pulled a face at Xander's words. "Ugh, don't remind me."

"You need to train too. I mean, you heard me roar but what happens if you get into trouble?"

"I know, I know," grumbled Buffy, "it's just that he's being so pushy about it."

"Yeah, I feel you on that one. He's just worried about us is all."

"We'll he's going to worry us down to a nub if he keeps going!"

"You might be right. I'll try and have a talk with him, get him to lay off."

"Thanks Xan! I'll owe you one."

"Well you can pay me back by not telling him how I screwed up tonight."

"Deal!"

***BTVS***

Fortunately Giles was preoccupied with Jenny when they got home. Xander was able to clean himself up without revealing the extent of his injuries and Buffy pushed back reporting about patrol until school tomorrow.

A good night's sleep had worked wonders for Xander and he felt almost one hundred percent healed. Of course, now Buffy was heading to the frat party with Cordelia of all people. While he was happy that she seemed to be moving away from Deadboy he didn't trust those college guys at all. But a regular guy would be much less of a challenge since she wouldn't be able to share her slaying with them. And she _had_ been clamoring for a break for the past two weeks.

They walked into the library to find Giles about to stab a rapier in his hands down into the ground. He glanced over his shoulder at the three teens as they walked into the library. Xander stifled a chuckle as Giles nonchalantly hid the sword behind his back and edged toward the book cage. "I didn't see you three," Giles quickly tossed the sword into the book cage and kicked the door shut, "creeping about."

"No running with sword mister," chastised Xander with smirk on his face, "you could put someone's eye out."

"Ha, ha," said Giles dryly as he adjusted his glasses, "So, um, how did it go last night?"

Buffy pulled out an object from her pocket and handed it to Giles. "Found this."

Giles read the engraving on the broken bracelet, "E-N-T."

"I've seen something like that before," said Willow as she frowned in thought.

"It's broken in two. I don't know what the rest of the letters might have spelled. And there's blood on it," added Buffy.

"Uh, I didn't see any."

"Angel showed up. He could smell it."

"Really? Let me see," said Xander as he took the bracelet from Giles and gave it a long sniff. "Yeah, there's definitely blood on it. Not a lot though." Another sniff. "It's a girl's bracelet. She must have lost it last night."

"You can tell it was a girl from the blood?" asked Willow curiously.

"Uh, no, I can still smell her perfume on it. It's really strong too. Usually smells like that don't hang around on metal for very long." He took another long sniff of the bracelet. "She was sweating a lot when she lost this. She was scared."

"That could mean any number of things, unfortunately."

"A scared girl in Sunnydale, what a surprise," muttered Willow sarcastically.

"Well, you two can try and figure out who it belonged too. If you can guess what it said maybe that'll help. I'll patrol, see if I can't find her trail," said Xander.

Giles nodded, "uh, yes, with the both of you covering more ground perhaps-"

"Sorry, I'm not available," interrupted Buffy.

Giles looked at her over his glasses. "Why not?" he asked her.

Buffy stuttered for a moment. Xander sighed and decided to help. "Is your mom not feeling better?" he asked Buffy. Willow turned a sharp look on him that Giles didn't notice.

"Yes!" exclaimed Buffy, "I mean, uh, no, no she's not feeling better. I should really stay with her tonight." Willow stared at Buffy and Xander in disbelief.

"Oh, w-w-well, um, sorry, of course. If-if-if she's not well."

"I'll take an early pass this evening, and, um, one later on, but for the bulk of the evening-"

"Y-y-you should stay home with your mother, of, of course."

"Thanks Giles."

The three teens headed out of the library at the sound of the bell. Xander chanced a glance in Willow's direction. She did not look happy.

"You lied to Giles," said Willow unhappily.

"Look, I wasn't lying. I was just," Buffy searched for the right words, "protecting him from information that he wouldn't be able to, uh, digest properly."

"Like a corn dog," quipped Xander in an attempt to make Willow relax. It didn't work.

"Like you don't have a sick mother, but you'd rather go to a frat party where there's going to be drinking and older guys and probably an orgy," Willow nearly spat.

"There's no orgies!" rebutted Buffy quickly. At least, she really hoped there weren't any orgies!

"I heard a lot of wild things go on at frat parties," said Willow worriedly.

"You hear a lot of things about college life, Willow. Don't worry so much," said Xander as he rubbed Willow's back comfortingly.

"Okay, you know what?" said Buffy hotly, "Look, seven days a week I am busy saving the world. Once in a great while I want to have some fun. And that's what I'm going to have tonight. Fun!"

"This is a terrible idea," muttered Willow.

***BTVS***

This was a terrible idea. Honestly, what excuse was he going to give her? Hey, I was in the neighborhood killing vampires, thought I'd drop by? This was a terrible idea.

Despite his doubts Xander found himself inside the frat house. The party was in full swing, with loud music, louder party goers and an abundance of alcohol. Except for the festive atmosphere and pleasant conversation, this could have passed for his last Christmas. Xander pushed away thoughts of his… progenitors. There was a myriad of scents but only one that mattered to him. He found himself quickly heading toward a corner of a large room converted into a dance hall. There she was, standing by herself in the corner. She looked so beautiful in her little black dress. How could these _idiots _be ignoring her? Where they blind? Xander slowly came up from behind her. He took a moment to breathe deep of her scent. Sunshine and flowers and honey and fluffy yellow snack cakes. A part of him despaired for how hopelessly smitten he was with this girl who only had eyes for another.

"Hello Buffy." Buffy nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt the hot breath caress her ear. She spun around ready to strike until she saw who it was. She closed her eyes and collected herself for a moment.

"_Xander_!" she hissed in annoyance.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"Well you did, god! And what are you doing here?"

Xander gazed at Buffy for a moment as he tried to think up an excuse. "I came to see you." That was _so_ not an excuse. Who made that decision? Xander's brain, you're fired!

"To see me?"

"Uh, yeah, uh," Okay Xander's brain, you're not fired, maybe just on probation? Come on, help out here! "I was checking out that house on Clayton street? Turns out there was a nest there. One of them led me here when I was chasing him. I saw the frat house and I thought I'd drop by." Buffy smiled at him but said nothing about how sweet it was for him to drop by and check on her. Xander was able to read her approval. Xander's brain, you are officially given a raise. "So, is every guy here blind?"

"Uh, no, why do you ask?"

"Because they're leaving the most beautiful girl here by herself. I'd thought they'd be tripping over themselves to get to you."

"I think Cordelia might take exception to that," said Buffy through the grin that blossomed on her face.

"Oh," said Xander in surprise. "Let me revise my statement then. They're _definitely_ leaving the most beautiful girl here by herself." Buffy smiled coyly at Xander as she felt her cheeks redden. "So why _are_ you here by your lonesome?"

"Cordelia dumped me to spend time with her boyfriend. No one else here seemed to be paying me any attention."

"Their loss," said Xander with a smile as he clasped Buffy's hand and led her into the dance floor. A slow crooning ballad was playing over the sound system. Holding up her right hand in his left, Xander wrapped his right arm around her waist and pressed his left cheek to the top of her head as he swayed in place. Buffy melted into his embrace. She hadn't realized how cold she was until she felt his warmth seeping into her body. She could hear his heart beating in his chest. She could even smell the faint trace of dust on him that she remembered from her own patrols.

Xander wondered how long this moment would last. Here he was, in the arms of this gorgeous being that had changed everything in his life. It would have been a perfect moment except he knew that it would end. And the moment it ended, everything would go back to the way it was before they began this dance. Xander breathed deep again and tried to remember every sensation, tried to burn them into his memory, into his soul, so he could always return to this blissful moment.

Pressing herself closer to Xander, Buffy wondered how she could have never felt so warm in another man's embrace. Angel hadn't been cold, not really, but he wasn't blazing… Angel! This wasn't Angel this was Xander! Sweet, warm, caring- Xander! Willow's crush Xander! She stepped back abruptly.

He bit back a sigh as she broke the moment. He opened his eyes to see her stepping back as far as she could on the crowded dance floor. He gazed at this girl who made him try to become a better man than he ever thought he could be, who filled him with such a sensation of life and joy that he felt like he could burst, who could tear his heart to shreds so easily, who devastated him at every turn. Xander closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and still his roiling emotions.

Buffy shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Part of her longed to be back in Xander's warm embrace. She rubbed her arms as she watched Xander sigh. This really wasn't fair, to either of them. Xander knew how she felt, except she wasn't so sure how she felt about Angel right now. And Willow… when was Willow going to make her move? She loved Willow but this waiting game was getting ridiculous!

"Are you going to stay here?" Buffy was startled by Xander's sudden question.

"Uh, yeah, at least until Cordelia's ready to go," she muttered as she avoided looking at his face.

"Buffy," the tone of his voice forced Buffy to look up. There was a sad smile on his face that tore at her because she knew she put it there. "Stay. Have fun. You deserve it." Xander turned and vanished into the crowd. Buffy wandered over to her previous corner. She finally decided that this sucked.

Xander quickly leapt over the wall surrounding the frat section of campus, heedless of who could have seen him perform the superhuman feat. He picked up Mjolnir from its hiding place in a bush then he broke into a light jog as he crossed the cemetery toward the large road. What was he _doing_ to himself? Why did he **keep** doing it to himself? He hated this! Xander ran his hand through his hair roughly. He turned and headed toward the school. He took a moment to prime his senses. It wouldn't do to get caught off guard again, especially not after he almost died the night before. Of course, part of him wanted to just shrivel up and die. The other part snarled about claiming its mate. Another part screamed and raged at everything for not getting the girl he loved. And the last and largest part of him? That side just hoped that Buffy would finally find some happiness.

He spun and brought his hammer down on the vampire that tried to sneak up on him. The force of his blow tore the vampire in two before both halves burst into dust. This was _really_ not a good time to try and take him on. A few hours and a few vampires and a demon later, Xander broke into a run. He very quickly found himself at the school. The library followed soon after. Opening the library doors he saw Giles, Willow and _him_ standing near a window. They paused in their conversation as they watched him enter.

"What's going on?" asked Xander warily. Why was the corpse here?

"Uh, we were, uh, attempting to ascertain the area that the bracelet was found," answered Giles.

"She found the bracelet in the cemetery. Near the south wall," said Angel gruffly as he glared openly at Xander. The _boy_ smelled like Buffy!

Xander blinked as Angel's words sunk in. "Next to the college?"

"Yeah and- the fraternity!" exclaimed Willow with wide eyes as she stared at Xander. Xander reared back as he realized the wall he had just climbed was next to the frat house.

"A fraternity?" asked Giles curiously. Willow nodded nervously as Giles and Angel both began to consider the implications.

"Could they be taking these girls?" Giles asked the room at large. Willow again nodded nervously.

"Let's get out there," said Angel as he and Giles turned to go. Xander stood still, clearly not intending to leave. He stared back at Willow which caused Giles and Angel to turn around.

"Buffy!" cried Willow, more to Xander than anyone else. However, Giles took her cry as a sudden suggestion.

"W-w-we don't know that it's concrete. Uh, let's not disturb her until-"

"Is there! With Cordelia! They went to a party at the Zeta Kappa house," confessed Willow in a rush.

"She lied to me?" asked a startled Giles.

"Well…" Willow trailed off nervously when Giles turned on Xander.

"You _lied_ to me?" Xander opened his mouth to answer but found that he didn't have anything to say. He shrugged and ducked his head.

"Did she have a date?" Angel asked Willow.

"Well…" Angel huffed as Willow temporized. She finally snapped. "Well, why do you think she went to that party? Because you gave her the brush-off!" she snapped at Angel angrily before rounding on Giles. "And you never let her do anything except work and patrol! And I know she's the Chosen One, but you're killing her with the pressure! I mean, she's sixteen going on forty!" Giles stepped back at Willow's vehemence. She turned back to Angel "And you! I mean, you're going to live forever! You don't have time for a cup of coffee?" Angel stepped back as well. Xander thought he had escaped this tirade when she suddenly stepped toward him. "And you lied for her! Are you just going to do everything she says! You can't just let her slack off like that!"

While Giles and Angel stared at Willow's fury speechlessly, Xander was already used to her explosive temper. However, he usually managed to keep his. Tonight his already bruised and jumbled feelings lashed out angrily at this last slight.

"Who's letting who slack off! I _always_ do a double patrol whenever she doesn't go out! She's not a machine; she needs to rest, to relax! I was just trying to give her the chance to have more in her life than studying and violence!" Willow stepped back as Xander's voice began to rattle the windows. "Buffy has every reason to fight but no reasons to live!"

Silence reigned in the library for a very long beat. "Uh, W-w-what do you mean?" asked Giles cautiously.

"Buffy's been trying to tell you since day one but you just don't see it. When she says she wants a normal life, it isn't because she wants to stop being the Slayer, although part of her certainly wants that," he added as an aside before he continued, "she wants more than to just be a fighting machine. She's not a weapon Giles, she's a human being. Human beings need reasons to fight but they also need reasons to live. It's the only thing that will give her the strength to fight when there isn't anything else left."

Xander turned to Willow who looked back at him sheepishly. "I'm not the slacker slash loser I was before Willow. I've changed. I have commitments, a purpose now and I'm putting _everything_ I can into that. I'm not just plain-old Xander now. The lion spirit changed how I thought about my place in the world. It changed what I could _do_. Now instead of trying to help from the sidelines I can fight on the frontlines. I swore on Jessie's grave that I would do my best to help Buffy in this fight. And I hold myself to that oath _every_ day. So don't point your finger at me and tell me I'm letting her slack off! If she needs a break, she deserves it. It's the least I can do."

Xander turned to face Angel with a snarl. "And you," Xander grit his teeth. Part of him wanted to tell him to finally ask Buffy out. The part of him that knew it would make her happy. But now, here, at the moment of truth, when he was face to face with the man who had captured Buffy's heart, he could only think of one thing to say. "Just," he shook his head in frustration. "Fuck you man, fuck you," he muttered sourly. "Come on, those frat guys were giving me the wiggins before. Let's go find out what's going on."

***BTVS***

It was a tense drive to the frat house. Xander pushed Angel to the front and sat in the back with Willow. Angel glared at Xander but said nothing as he slid into the front seat. Willow wrung her hands nervously as Giles started up the car before peeling out of the school parking lot. Xander sighed as he looked over at his nervous best friend. Her knuckles were white as she gripped her seat belt. He reached his hand out. Willow turned and spotted his outstretched hand. She stared at it for a long moment before finally taking it. He held her hand softly even as she tried her best to squeeze the life out of his hand. Eventually her grip lessened until they were comfortably holding hands in the back seat.

They were soon pulling in front of the frat house. The house was darker than it had been earlier.

"Looks like the party is over," said Xander.

"Y-y-yes, the house does seem rather dark for a frat party."

"Hey, is that Cordelia's car?" asked Willow as she pointed to the cherry red Mercedes parked on the other side of the road. Xander was the first to get out as Giles shut off the car. He walked over to the front of the car and read the 'Queen C' license plate. This was definitely Cordelia's car.

"Yeah, it is. They're still here." The group walked up to the front door. They stopped as they heard the crunching under their shoes. They looked down to find glass strewn over the ground and then looked up to find the hastily repaired glass door.

"What's all this then?" asked Giles softly as he studied the broken balcony door. Xander and Angel both crouched down and sniffed.

"Blood," said Angel.

"The same blood as on the bracelet," said Xander as he sniffed at a grain of glass he picked up.

"So the missing girl was here," said Willow. They all looked at the now sinister looking fraternity house.

Angel growled as he spun around. His face was contorted into its demonic visage. "Buffy," he growled before moving forward. Xander jogged passed him and knocked on the door.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Put your fangs away blood-breath before you scare the frat boys."

Angel shifted his face back as Willow and Giles caught up to the two of them. The door opened to reveal a slightly drunk fraternity member. "What do you guys want?"

"Left my wallet behind. Can we come in and take a look?"

"Come on, be quick about it," he said as he waved the group in. Xander smirked at Angel as he stepped inside. "By the way," he said casually as he stepped inside. "We're looking for our friends. One's a short gorgeous blonde and the other's a stacked brunette. You wouldn't happen to know where they are would you? Or where any of the other missing high school girls ended up?" The frat boy froze for a moment at Xander's last question. He glanced at the group before swinging a fist at Xander's face. Xander caught his fist and squeezed. There was an audible crunch and the frat boy stared at his ruined hand for a moment. "Now, that wasn't very nice," said Xander coldly.

"Aaah-Intruders!" screamed the frat boy. Xander quickly knocked him unconscious as several footsteps thundered down the stairs. A group of five fraternity members burst into the foyer. Xander quickly decked the frat member whose hand he broke. Angel stepped forward as the other members rushed them. Willow squealed and hid behind Giles who hung back as Xander and Angel met the charge. One of the members was faster than the others and closed in on Angel with a wild haymaker. Angel blocked the blow and casually backhanded his foe. The young man crumbled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Two large guys jumped on Xander who easily lifted them with one hand each.

"What the hell!"

"What are you!"

Xander ignored their incredulous cries and tossed them at one unlucky frat member. They crashed through a set of glass doors before the heap of bodies landed in the next room. The three men did not rise again.

"Where's Buffy?" growled Angel as he held the last frat member up by his neck. The struggling young man kicked at Angel's head. Angel squeezed harder and the man's attack faltered.

"I think it's in your best interest to answer his question," said Xander as he walked up to Angel and his victim. He cracked his knuckles in an exaggerated fashion once he saw he had the frat member's attention.

"Guys! The basement!" cried Willow. Angel and Xander turned to see her holding open a door in the kitchen. Angel quickly punched out the guy he was holding. The four of them then made their way an uncommonly long set of stairs. Eventually the stairs exited into a cavern.

"I don't think this is a common feature in many homes," said Giles. Angel and Xander were steadily heading deeper into the cavern nearly heedless at the danger they could be encountering. Both Angel and Xander froze as they stepped into the cavern proper. Over 30 robed figures were gathered in a loose circle around where three girls were chained up. A large snake demon with a humanoid torso were the head of a snake would normally be was rising out of a large crevasse across from the chained girls.

"Buffy!" yelled Xander as he plunged into the group of robed figures.

"Stop them!" yelled Tom as he hefted the ceremonial blade.

Angel cursed as he followed behind Xander. He quickly settled into a rhythm as the group swarmed around him.

Xander burst out the other side of the line, one robed figure held crossways in front of him as a shield. He turned and threw the hapless figure into the robed figures behind him. He spared a glance at the snake demon as he rushed up to Buffy and helped her break her chains.

"Look out!" she yelled. Xander turned in time to see Tom bearing down on him with a sword. Xander slapped the strike aside, sending the sword Tom was holding clattering off to the side. He picked up Tom over his head and tossed him at Machida before he turned to help Buffy unlock her chains.

Machida grabbed his high priest out of the air. This was unexpected. It seemed that his acolytes had inadvertently captured the Slayer. There was also the Vampire with the stench of a human soul. He was allied with the Slayer, if the beating he was giving his acolytes was any indication of his allegiance. The other one, however, seemed to be just as strong as the Slayer. Machida licked at the air once more. Ah, a Primal. No, this array of forces was too much for his current weakened state.

"Machida, I swear that I will feed these to you!" proclaimed Tom. Machida regarded his high priest for a moment. Tom didn't even have time to draw breath for a scream when Machida's mouth opened impossibly wide and began swallowing him whole.

Cordelia and the other girl were now free, leaving Buffy and Xander able to help Angel defeat the rest of the fraternity brothers. Suddenly all the fraternity brothers screamed as blood began pouring out of their eyes and ears and noses. They all flopped over and fell dead. Cordelia screamed as she and the other would-be sacrifice ran out of the cavern. Giles and Willow flipped one of the bodies over.

"My word," breathed Giles, "what has happened?" Willow stumbled back and fainted. Xander and Buffy rushed toward their fallen friend when Angel's words stopped them.

"We have a problem here!" They turned to see Machida begin to glow with a poison green light. Machida's body flopped forward as he stepped out of his own skin. He was now a snake featured humanoid. He turned toward Buffy and her friends and hissed. His eyes glowed green for a moment and he raised his hand.

His eyes widening, Xander turned and saw that they were standing directly in front of Willow's fallen body. They couldn't dodge the attack without risking it hitting Willow. Xander braced himself as he resolved to allow the attack to hit him. The movement of his feet struck one of the bodies of the fallen fraternity brothers.

The green blast of energy flew from Machida's outstretched hand. It collided with the flying body of one of the fraternity brothers. The man floated in midair as the green light enveloped his body. There was a flare once his body was completely enveloped. Once the flare dispersed, only a few pieces of ash remained behind to fall to the ground. Angel and Buffy turned to Xander, whose hand was still stretched out from his throw.

"Okay, getting hit with glowing light bad," said Xander. Machida reared back as his chest inflated like a frogs before he bent forward and unleashes a hissing scream. Angel, Buffy and Xander clapped their hands over their ears as the vibrations assaulted their bodies. Giles tried to stand but fell back to the ground, disoriented. Xander took a deep breath and unleashed his roar. For a moment, the entire cavern shook until Machida stumbled back as Xander's roar overpowered his attack. His eyes glowed again. "Take him down!" yelled Xander.

The three demon fighters burst into motion. Buffy ran to Machida's left, to where she could see Tom's fallen sword. Angel ran to his right in order to try and flank Machida. Xander stepped to the side in order to remove Giles and Willow from the line of fire and then ran straight at Machida. Machida tracked Xander and unleashed another green blast of energy. Buffy ran past Machida and grabbed Tom's sword. Angel attacked Machida from behind. Machida twisted and struck Angel in the gut with a powerful kick. Angel flew back until he struck the wall of rock that surrounded the crevasse Machida rose from.

Machida turned and swatted Xander from the air as he came down from leaping over Machida's green blast. Xander crashed into a table set up with the materials needed for ritual the fraternity had attempted. He rolled along the ground until he finally slowed enough for him to stop.

Ducking under her flying friend, Buffy slashed down with her sword. Machida dodged her strike by the barest of margins. She pressed her attack and unlashed a flurry of slashes that had Machida retreating. She sped up her attacks but none of them landed. Finally Machida seemed to flow in a boneless manner and came up inside her guard. His uppercut launched her off her feet and sent her sword flying. She slowly climbed to her feet but stumbled and had to pick herself up again. Machida's eyes began glowing green again.

Leaping onto his back, Angel sank his teeth into the back of Machida's neck. Machida hissed in pain and anger before he reached a hand back and flung Angel onto Buffy, who was still attempting to rise. Machida stretched out his hand toward the two tangled fighters when Xander struck him with a table. The old oak table, that had survived Xander crashing into it, shattered as it struck Machida. Machida turned and hissed at Xander as he pointed his glowing hand at Xander. The point of a sword burst through Machida's chest.

Behind Machida, Giles stepped back and let go of the ceremonial sword as it began to glow the same poison green as Machida's blasts. The glow steadily grew in intensity as Machida began to scream. The cavern began shaking.

"I-I-I believe we should retreat!" yelled Giles. Xander quickly ran to Willow as Angel and Buffy picked each other up. They began to run out of the cavern. They had just reached the exit when Machida exploded in a burst of green light. When they turned to see what had occurred, Machida was no more. Xander carried Willow as they all headed out of the fraternity.

***BTVS***

"So how does it feel to have saved the day G-man?" asked Xander as he patted his mentor on the shoulder in congratulations. Willow had finally recovered from her fainting spell and they were all heading toward Giles' car.

"Xander will you stop calling me," Giles stopped for a moment before simply shaking his head in resignation. "I-I-I'm glad that we all escaped unscathed from our encounter. That, that was almost certainly one of the more higher level demons in our plane."

"Well you are certainly welcome to research it on your own," said Xander with a grin.

Giles smirked at Xander. "Oh, I think I smell a homework assignment, don't you?" Xander groaned. Willow giggled at him.

"So, um, you know that club, uh, the Bronze," began Angel hesitantly. Buffy eyed him curiously. Angel cleared his throat and continued. "They serve coffee, you know? I thought that maybe you and I could go get some. Coffee. If you want."

Buffy smiled softly at him before she sauntered over to Giles' car. "Yeah, sometime," she said with affected apathy, "I'll let you know."

Angel smiled softly at Buffy for a moment before backing into the shadows. Xander sneered at Angel's vanishing form before he plopped himself into the front seat. "Let's go home," he said sourly. Giles patted him consolingly on the shoulder before he drove away.


	11. All Hallow's Eve

**Chapter 11 – All Hallow's Eve**

Captain Alexander "The Great" Harris had experienced many strange and unique situations in his thirty-five years of life. He'd once fought five consecutive death matches in a jungle in Southeast Asia. He'd once stolen an enemy's parachute mid-HALO jump over Central America. He'd once stormed the headquarters of a militant insurrectionist group in Montana by himself.

He'd never once suddenly appeared somewhere without any memory of how he arrived.

He'd also never had someone go through him when they tried to grab him. His reflexive reverse elbow had also never _literally_ gone through someone's head.

"What the fuck is going on?" he asked the redhead apparition he now strongly suspected was the result of drugs that had been pumped into his system. He didn't think that hallucinations were supposed to be this intense but there wasn't another explanation for what was going on. Yet.

"Xander, stop playing around! Something Hellmouth-y is going on!"

"Miss, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Listen, whoever you think you are, you're not. You're in the body of my best friend Xander. He dressed like some kind of special forces soldier. And now you think you are! I dressed as a ghost and now I am one!"

"The ghost of what?" The furious girl put her fist through his face. Harris wished she'd been able to just punch him instead of having her fully incorporeal hand, or so he fervently hoped, inside his skull. "Sorry! Sorry," he said as he backed up a step.

"Look, stop looking at me like I'm crazy and look at yourself. You'll see I'm right." Harris looked at her skeptically before pulling a mirror from one of his vest pockets. He'd only ever used this mirror to send signals to his team and had never actually used the mirror to groom himself. He nearly dropped the mirror and his rifle in shock at the face that looked back at him from the polished metal. "You see!? You see!? I was telling you the truth!"

The face was his but from several years and scars ago. Being suddenly made younger wouldn't explain his current location or the fact that it appeared he was kitted out for a mission without remembering any briefing. He slid the mirror back into a pocket. "Alright, I believe you, but now what do we do?"

"We have to find Buffy, she's the slayer, she'll know what to do. Oh my god, Buffy!" The redhead started turning left and right. Harris scanned the area and spotted several people walking around. However, he had no clue what this Buffy even looked like, beyond being female.

Harris grimaced. He hoped that it was female.

Sometimes missions can get weird.

"Buffy!" Harris watched as the redhead ran up to a pretty brunette dressed in an old-fashioned fancy dress. "Buffy, it's us, Willow and Xander!"

Okay, check, redhead is Willow. The blonde must be Buffy.

"Who are you? Where am I? What is all this? Where is my father?" Buffy had grown increasingly hysterical with each question. Willow was now gaping at her friend. Harris judged from her outfit that she had dressed as a noble woman or princess for Halloween. "Demon!" she screamed as she pointed behind Harris and Willow. Harris spun around and brought his rifle to bear on the hostile.

At least, as hostile as a garden variety sedan could be while it drove placidly down the road.

"That's not a demon, that's a car," said Willow earnestly.

"What does it want?" asked Buffy fearfully as she shuffled closer to Harris while maintaining her vigil on the strange beast making its way down the road.

"It's a type of transportation, miss," answered Harris as he shared a pointed look with a stunned Willow.

"Oh my god Buffy doesn't remember being the Slayer but that means that she can't help us and you don't remember being part lion but there's all kinds of bumpies out tonight and they'll still know she's the Slayer and they'll be hunting us except we won't be able to fight back against them and then we'll all get killed or eaten or turned and they might open the Hellmouth and doom all of humanity to endless suffering and enslavement of our immortal souls all because she dressed up as a ditzy noblewoman in order to impress Angel ohmygod Angelcould helpus wehavetofindhim-"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa, whoa whoa, whoa!" exclaimed Harris. How the hell could she speak so long without taking a breath? Maybe not needing to breathe had something to do with it? "Okay, calm down, now, the first thing is... I have no idea what you just said. The second thing is we should get off the streets. Now, except for the fact that you're intangible, you haven't been changed, correct?"

"Uh, yeah, that's right."

"You lived here? You know the places we could go?"

"Yeah, I do- Oh! We can go to Buffy's house, it's only a few blocks away!"

Harris nodded as he checked over his rifle. Satisfied that it was in full working order he quickly checked his other weapons then turned to Buffy. "Miss, if you will please follow me, I give you my word that I will allow no harm to come to you."

The Lady Elizabeth looked upon the gentleman gratefully. Despite his strange manner of dress the gentleman's manners and bearing reminded her of the captain of the guard at Father's garrison. "Oh, thank you kind sir. I do not know what has happened or where I now find myself!"

"It seems witchcraft has been used against us this night." The Lady Elizabeth gasped and crossed herself. "Don't fret and follow me. I'll make sure we'll make it through the night safely. Now come, first we need to find safety. Willow, lead the way."

Harris used his gun to scare off the few monsters they encountered. He wasn't entirely sure of what was going on but Willow seemed convinced that the monsters were former civvies. Unfortunately it didn't seem he had anything non-lethal on him. After a few minutes of travel they managed to reach their destination.

"This is Buffy's house!" cried Willow as she rushed up the steps. She reached for the doorknob only to have her hand pass through.

"This hovel is not Fairy Castle!"

"Your home is called Fairy Castle?" asked Willow excitedly.

Harris stepped up, tried the knob and tried to ignore the girls' comments. "Hey, the door's locked."

"Oh, there's a key hidden in the planter!"

"Right." Harris searched the planter, finding the key half buried near the lip. Once inside he quickly ushered the two girls in. "Okay, we're here, now what?"

"Um, we, uh, we need to figure out what happened to us and reverse it!"

"Will I be able to return home then?" asked Lady Elizabeth hopefully. Willow turned a pleading look toward Harris.

"Yes, you'll definitely be back where you came from," said Harris with a certainty he didn't have as he canvassed the living room. "What's this?" he muttered as he lifted up a picture from the wall. "Milady, what do you make of this?" he asked as he handed her the photo.

"This is certainly the smallest portrait I have ever seen." The photo was a picture of her, Willow and Xander on the steps of the school. "This girl, she has my face," exclaimed Lady Elizabeth in surprise. "What is the meaning of this!?"

A knock at the door derailed any further conversation.

"I wonder who that could be," said Harris as he walked over to the door.

"No!" yelled Willow, "there could be a monster on the other side!"

"And there could be a civilian that needs help," countered Harris. "I'll be careful." Checking from the large window in the living room, Harris saw no sign of anyone on the front porch. He tried to peer through the iced glass adorning the door. He couldn't make anything out through the glass when he noticed a large shadow suddenly cover up the window. Instinct drove him to jump aside. He just barely avoided the large clawed hand that burst through. He idly noted Willow and Elizabeth begin screaming as he drove the butt of his rifle into the joint of the monster's arm. The arm was pulled back with a yelp. Harris pushed the barrel of his gun through the opening, sighted and fired a three round burst into the front porch. The monster instantly retreated.

"I said no shooting! They're probably changed the same way we were!"

"Relax, I didn't hit him. The noise drove him off."

"Okay that's goo-" a sharp scream pierced the air and interrupted Willow.

"Oh, great," muttered Harris, "you two stay here!" he ordered as he ran out the front door.

"Lord, please return him safely to us," prayed Buffy as she clasped her hands in front of her face.

"Why is it always Christian and never Jewish?" muttered Willow as she glanced at Buffy.

Lady Elizabeth immediately gasped and crossed herself. "As if any proper, god-fearing person would associate with that lot!"

Willow rolled her eyes at the false noblewoman, "Oy vey."

Another gasp. "It cannot be- are you a Jew? Is that why you are condemned to restlessly roam the earth?" Lady Elizabeth edged away from the apparition with whom she had grown far too comfortable.

Willow resisted the urge to palm her face as she resolved to have a talk with Buffy about her alter-ego. She jumped off the couch as Cordelia came charging into the house. "Thank god," she cried in joy at the interruption, "Okay, Cordelia, you're not a cat, you're human and one of our friends, uh, more like acquaintance, or, uh, well, we know you."

"Uh, okay there Willow, and you went off your meds when?"

"Wait, you know who you are?" asked a surprised Willow.

"Ugh, first Jojo the dog faced boy attacked me then I get stuck with the lunatic fringe!" complained Cordelia. She pointed at a tear on her cat suit, "You see this? You think Partytown's going to give me my deposit back?"

"Partytown? That's expensive," said Willow, "why didn't you go to Ethan's?"

"I only shop at reputable stores, okay? Get with the program," scoffed Cordelia.

Willow flinched back before frowning. "Sheesh, I'm sorry not all of us are rich enough to throw away money on a hooker outift."

"Apology accep-hey!"

"God, why have you forsaken me," muttered Harris as he massaged his forehead. It wasn't enough that he was thrown into this crazy situation, now he was stuck babysitting sniping teenagers. At least the small brunette was pretty, even if she was completely out of her element.

"What's with you?" asked Cordelia. She crossed her arms and jutted out her chin. "Don't think I owe you one just because you saved my life earlier. You should be thanking me for your improved social standing because of my fashion advice."

"Look here lady, I don't know who you think I am but I'm not him. My name is Alexander Harris, Captain in the United States Military, currently on assignment with," he paused and glanced at each girl in turn, "you don't need to know. I've done tours through every hell on this planet, I have a fully automatic assault rifle I am fully capable and willing to use, I'm trained in hundreds of ways to kill and I'm pretty pissed that I've been ripped out of my body and put into some teenager that happened to dress as me for Halloween. Now I don't know about you but I want this nightmare to end so if you don't have anything constructive to say then shut it!" All three girls jumped as Harris barked out the last two words. He glared at each of them as if daring them to cross him. None of them did.

"You," he pointed at Willow, who mouthed 'me?' while pointing at herself. Harris nodded. "You seem very certain that someone cast a spell that turned people into their costumes." He glanced at Cordelia. "Though it doesn't seem to be affecting everyone. Where can we find out what's going on? Is there anyone we can talk to?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Giles!" exclaimed Willow as she bounced in place.

"Who's that?" asked Harris.

"You _live_ with the guy," said Cordelia.

"I told you I'm not who you think I am," bit out Harris tersely.

"He's the school librarian," interjected Willow before Xander started yelling again.

"How's a school librarian going to help us?" Harris began to think the redhead wasn't going to prove as hopeful as he thought.

"He's a watcher!" Willow blushed as Xander immediately motioned for her to explain further. "Uh, he knows all about the supernatural. He should be able to figure out what's going on and how to fix it."

Harris nodded, finally glad to be getting somewhere. "Where do we find him?"

"He said there was some stuff he was going to take care of-" Willow cut herself off as Xander shouldered his rifle and fired a burst into the doorway leading off from the kitchen to the laundry room.

The three girls started screaming as a black blur rushed out of the doorway. It crashed into Harris before he could track it with his rifle. As the thing carried him toward a wall, Harris slipped his left hand behind his back. He buried the five inch combat knife into the thing's shoulder. The thing cried in pain and stopped immediately. Harris lost his grip on his knife as he continued falling backward. He braced himself as he landed on his back. He slid along the floor as he brought his rifle to bear on the hostile who had stopped to pull the knife out of its shoulder.

"No! Stop!" yelled Willow as she jumped between the two of them. Harris kept his rifle aimed on the hostile as he stood, knowing that he could safely shoot through the redhead if he had to.

"What the hell, Harris?" snarled the thing as it tossed his knife away. "Your hammer having performance issues?" it asked with a smirk. Harris narrowed his glare.

"I thought you guys were kidding when you said he was a vampire," Harris spared a quick glance at Cordelia. She and Buffy were off to the side, out of his line of fire. Buffy was even cowering behind Cordelia. Good, she was smart enough to get behind cover.

"Xander, he's our friend, don't shoot him!" pleaded Willow. The thing was now looking around in confusion as its face shifted into a normal looking human's instead of the deformed thing it was before. He lowered his rifle, wondering at the loathing he felt for the hostile before dismissing it. "Angel, Buffy and Xander have been changed into their costumes! They don't know who they are!"

"Changed into their costumes?" parroted Angel as he tried to understand what was happening. "That must be what's causing all the chaos tonight," he muttered before addressing Willow again. "You and Cordelia didn't change?"

"Actually," Willow said sheepishly, "I got turned into a ghost."

Angel looked Willow up and down, taking in her halter top and miniskirt. "The ghost of what?"

"Why does everyone ask that?" fumed Willow as she crossed her arms around her midsection.

"Look, it it's friendly, that's good, but we need to get to this Watcher you mentioned," said Harris. "Where do we find him?"

"The library," muttered Willow, "the school library."

"Okay you," he pointed at Willow, "and," he paused in obvious distaste, "_that_ lead the way. I'll guard the rear."

"Why? Who put you in charge?" challenged Angel.

"I don't trust you and I'm the man with the gun. Now move out." The group slowly made their way outside. Angel frowned when he found Buffy sticking close to Harris, who smiled and gently guided her outside with a hand on her back. Angel had to keep himself from vamping out as Buffy blushed lightly and smiled at Harris.

***BTVS***

The room was dark, lit only by a few scattered reading lamps that cast everything in a soft bronze light. The man leaned back on the cushions set at the foot of the stairs as he took a long drag from the hose in his hand. Music filled the air, the beat of many drums formulating an undulating harmony. He let out a long smoky exhalation as he watched the woman dancing in front of him. She was beautiful. Her face was the most covered part of her body. A veil concealed the lower part of her face. Her torso was practically bare. The small blouse, a bra really, put her breast on display covering just enough to keep her from blatant nudity even through the sensuous twists and turns of her body. Her arms and legs were covered in baggy sleeves and pants. Although covered was a misnomer as the fabric was sheer and revealed the full breadth and scope of her curves. Through her pants could be seen a narrow strip of fabric around her waist and between her thighs that covered her most private places.

Her movements were an entrancing dance. Indeed it had less in common with a dance and more akin to a mating display. A signal to her audience that she was ready for, nay, in need of a mate. And with an audience of one there could be no mistaking her intended.

The man, wearing splendid white robes and a glittering white turban, took another drag from the hose in his hand. The bubbling from the hookah the hose led to was drowned out by the sounds of the drums. Even the sound of drums was lost to him as he watched the woman bend backwards like a bow, her head almost touching the ground. He had to focus to keep a firm grip on his hose. It turned out to be futile as the woman stood and slowly, deliberately raised one leg in a vertical split until her toe was pointed at the ceiling. The hose in the man's hand clattered to the floor.

He could feel his pulse pounding in his veins. He could feel his control slipping. Certainly it would be dangerous to simply through this beautiful creature down and ravish-

His jaw dropped in open shock as the woman turned and smoothly did the splits, her hands pushed down to keep her off the ground by a few inches. She turned as well as she could and winked at him over her shoulder. Then wiggled invitingly at him.

The man surged to his feet, his hands moving to tear his robes off-

"Giles!" yelled Willow as she ran _through_ the doors of the library. "Oh my god!" she yelled in shock as the woman, Jenny, jumped to her feet and the man, Giles, ran up to her side.

"Uh, well, Willow, uh, w-w-what are you doing here young lady?" blustered Giles with all the authority he could muster.

"What's going on? We heard yelling?" asked Angel as he barreled through the door in front of Harris, whose rifle swept back and forth across the room.

"Who turned this place into a club?" asked Cordelia as she walked behind the check-out counter. She turned off the boom box and turned on the lights. "What are you two doing?" she asked slowly as she took in the scene.

"My goodness," gasped Lady Elizabeth as edged from behind the good Captain. "Is that man a Turk?" she asked with a hint of fear. "And is that his Gypsy strumpet?" she asked in a scandalized tone of voice.

Jenny bristled before she let out a blistering array of curses. Both Giles and Angel's jaws dropped in shock when they realized she was cursing in Romani. Harris tilted his head as he admired the lovely flush the woman's anger gave her.

Behind him, Lady Elizabeth gasped at the audacity of this, this, this- she didn't have the words! Her father would certainly hear of this!

"Nice outfit," complimented Cordelia when Jenny paused for breath as she critically took in the computer teacher's figure. It wasn't bad, for an older woman. Cordelia's comment seemed to shake Willow out of her shock.

"Oh! Oh! You're not a sultan and his, er, harem girl?" She shook her head and barreled on, "you're actually a librarian and a school teacher! You've just been changed into your costumes!"

Jenny snapped something at Willow. Giles decided to take a guess at what she said. "Willow, what are you talking about?"

"You know who I am?" she asked dully.

"Why wouldn't we?" snapped Jenny, once more speaking in English but still feeling her temper.

"Xander and Buffy got turned into their costumes," she replied, her face twisted in confusion. "If you didn't get turned into your costumes then why were you doing, uh, _that_?"

"It's called role-play Willow," replied Jenny cattily, "something adults do before they fu-"

"Jenny!" snapped Giles in shock as Willow once again entered catatonia.

"Damn," drawled Xander admiringly, "and I thought women liked a man in uniform. I shoulda been a librarian."

"Surely you will not be tempted by such a, such a," Lady Elizabeth stumbled over her words as she sent a haughty look at Jenny, "base display?"

"Don't worry milady, I still have eyes only for you," replied Harris smoothly. Lady Elizabeth blushed prettily and turned away. She glanced back at him coyly. Harris winked at her, increasing her blush. She was young but he could certainly take advantage of his youthful body. Besides, he thought, he was probably doing the kid whose body he was in a favor.

Jenny narrowed her eyes at Buffy's words but held her temper. Buffy and Xander were not acting like themselves. "They're possessed?" she asked the room at large.

"Harris got turned into a soldier, Buffy into a noblewoman, and Willow's a ghost," summarized Angel as he glared at Harris who merely smirked back. He frowned even more when Buffy caught his glare and shuffled behind Harris who reached back and gently guided her behind him.

Lady Elizabeth blushed as she boldly took his hand in both of hers. His grip was so very reassuring. She spotted _it_ glaring at their joined hands and burrowed her face into the Captain's shoulder.

Angel barely stifled his growl at the outright leer Harris sent him. Jenny was glad her grin was hidden behind her veil. Giles managed to suppress his own smirk in favor of dealing with the more pressing matter at hand. "So they've been changed into their costumes," Giles stopped as he noticed the way Willow was dressed. "Willow is a ghost?"

"That's what happened," replied Cordelia as she fingered the tear in her costume. Would it be cheaper to get it stitched?

"The ghost of what?" asked Giles. That seemed to jolt Willow as she came out of her shock with a vengeance.

"Why does everyone keep asking that!?" she yelled as she rushed forward and began waving her hands _in_ Giles' face.

"Good lord!" exclaimed Giles as he stumbled back in shock. Willow chased after him.

"I got turned into a ghost and these are just the clothes I was wearing under the sheet because Buffy forced me into them but I didn't want to go out dressed like this but then I got turned into a ghost and lost my sheet and I'm a good girl not a hooker okay!?" She finally stopped as Giles stumbled and fell into the pillows he was sitting on earlier. Willow's shoulders heaved as she breathed in hoarsely.

"She really is a redhead," muttered an impressed Harris into the silence. Angel nodded, still shocked into silence despite it being the second time he'd seen Willow explode.

"Goodness, they certainly are spirited," remarked Lady Elizabeth.

"You can say that again," agreed Cordelia.

"Okay Willow, chill out, he's sorry," said Jenny gently as she gestured for Willow to calm down. "Now, let's figure out what's going on, okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry," muttered Willow as she stepped back. She very carefully did not meet anyone's eyes.

"Y-yes, I do apologize," muttered Giles as he hauled himself to his feet. "Now," he brushed his robes off, "how, how many people have been affected?"

"We can't tell," answered Harris seriously. "Some people have changed and some haven't."

"Curious," said Giles as he looked Xander over. His body language and attitude were certainly different. "You remember who you are?"

"Buddy, I remember my whole life. I'm also fifty and not fifteen."

"But you remember your whole life before this night?" asked Jenny. At his nod she turned to Buffy. "Is it the same for you?"

Lady Elizabeth looked at the woman in her scandalous outfit, blushed, then looked away. "Yes," she muttered as she gain buried her face in the Captain's shoulder. Why did she have to think about wearing such an outfit for the Captain? Mother would **never** approve!

Jenny bit her tongue again. She did not like being denied her release after she'd worked herself up into a near frenzy. She didn't like it **at all**. But there were more pressing concerns at the moment. "I'd say it's possession but Xander's name is the same. Plus, Willow was turned into a ghost. But why didn't everyone change?"

"Perhaps seeking a common denominator will grant us an avenue to pursue," said Giles as he pulled his glasses off his face. As he polished them he asked the group, "Where did you acquire your costumes?"

"Partytown," answered Cordelia with an indifferent air. This was always the boring part. God, why couldn't the exciting part be longer and less life-threatening? Then again, she might end up hanging out even more with the dweebs. Cordelia shivered at the thought.

"We went to this new place called Ethan's," replied Willow.

"Ethan's?" asked Giles sharply.

"Ugh, I don't know _how_ they could shop there. That guy was totally creepy and his british accent was so _obviously_ fake," complained Cordelia.

"British?" Giles had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It seemed his past had followed him here.

"Yeah, he had a weird weather name too," said Willow as she searched her memory for the exact name.

"Was it, by any chance, Ethan Rayne?" he asked warily. Jenny turned a questioning look at him that he avoided.

"That's it! That's his name!" yelled Willow in triumph before she stilled and tilted her head in confusion. "Why do you know his name?"

"Come on, we need to get down to his store." Giles ignored Willow's question. "If he enchanted the costumes that may be the center of this spell."

"Who's heading out?" asked Harris. If he could get some info on the capabilities of his allies he'd feel a lot better about any decisions he made in the field.

"Uh, most likely all of us," answered Giles, a little nonplussed at talking to a stranger wearing Xander's face.

"Seriously? Even the NonComs?" asked Harris as he gestured at Willow, Cordelia, and Buffy.

Giles frowned for a moment at the instant dismissal before he realized that Captain Harris didn't know their capabilities. "Buffy will be our most able combatant once the spell is broken. Willow's current intangibility will keep her safe and could be of use. She will also most likely return to her body once the spell is broken. Cordelia," Giles paused as he realized Xander had a point. "Uh, perhaps you should remain here."

"Hey, if Miss Calendar's going then so am I," protested Cordelia as she pointed to where Jenny was arming herself with a crossbow, and checking several pouches of ingredients. Giles and Jenny shared a look. Jenny frowned as Giles looked away.

"They might need me to help break the spell. That's our biggest priority. We do that and there's no more danger," she told everyone before focusing on Cordelia. "You don't have any skills to bring to the table."

"But I don't want to be left out!" said a pouting Cordelia as she stomped her foot.

"Listen," said Harris firmly, "It's dangerous out there right now. If you can't defend yourself someone who can will have to do it for you. That's a liability that can get you and the person protecting you killed. Right now we have one person who won't be able to defend themselves," he pointed at Buffy who was still huddled next to him, "Fortunately I can protect her and myself and the librarian is sure to keep an eye on his woman. That leaves you uncovered."

"Why don't you take care of her and I'll keep Buffy safe," suggested Angel sharply. He frowned when Buffy wrapped her arms around one of Harris' and buried her face in his shoulder.

"One, she doesn't trust you. Two, I don't trust you."

Angel took another look at Buffy, grimaced and crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll guard Cordelia."

"You know what," said Cordelia quickly with forced levity, "I'll just stay here." She slowly edged away from Angel, her hand coming up to cover her neck on the side facing him.

"Fine, whatever," spat Angel, "let's go and end all this nonsense." Angel stomped off to brood in a corner.

"Y-yes, well," stuttered Giles as he fiddled with his glasses. "If everyone will arm themselves we can get going."

"Stay close to me, alright?" suggested Harris to Lady Elizabeth. She stepped away from him and nodded.

"Thank you for your protection brave sir. My Father will surely see you rewarded for this," answered Lady Elizabeth.

"I'd rather _you_ reward me," replied Harris with a waggle of his eyebrows. Lady Elizabeth blushed. Steeling herself she looked Harris in the eye.

"I can certainly grant you my favor before you head into battle." Harris felt his body freeze as Lady Elizabeth reached down and pulled up the hem of her skirt. Slowly, she revealed a well-formed stocking clad leg. Harris felt his mouth go dry in a way it hadn't in years. He'd had numerous sexual experiences. All the carousing he'd done while on leave had inured him to the most blatant of erotic displays. But watching Elizabeth bend down and untie one of her garters was making his head pound with excitement.

Lady Elizabeth struggled with her nerves as she exposed herself to the Captain's eyes. She risked a quick glance at him. He was completely riveted to her display, his face flushed and his nostrils flaring as he sucked in a sharp breath. She felt her stomach lurch and a sense of pride bubble within her. She focused on not fumbling with untying the slippery satin garter belt. Out of the corner of her eye she watched in satisfaction as he tracked her hemline as she slowly lowered her skirt. Once her leg was covered his eyes immediately jumped to her face. She coyly turned her face away as she set about tying her garter to his left arm. His very _large_ and _firm_ left arm.

Earlier in the night, Harris had scoffed at the sleeveless shirt he was wearing under his vest. Why would you leave your arms exposed like that? Obviously the kid whose body he was in had watched too many movies. At the moment, however, he couldn't have been happier with the choice.

"Fight well, my champion," said Elizabeth solemnly. She blushed and looked up at him through her lashes shyly. Slowly Harris took her chin in his hand. She blushed even more but allowed him to guide her face until she was looking at him directly.

"On my honor, I will protect you." Harris didn't resist the impulse that guided him to lean down and capture Elizabeth's lips with his own. Lady Elizabeth flushed. She couldn't believe how forward the Captain was. However, she realized that if whatever witchcraft had trapped them here was ended, then they would each return home, never to see each other again. She moved into his embrace.

Angel suppressed the urge to rip the _boy_'s throat out. That wasn't Harris, it was just something wearing his face, the same as Buffy. It wasn't Buffy and Xander kissing, it was two strangers who'd be _gone_ after tonight.

Giles stepped in front of Willow, blocking her line of sight. She blinked for a moment as she realized that Giles was now standing in front of her. "Giles?" she asked in a strangled voice.

"You do realize that they are **not** Buffy and Xander?" he asked her softly as he peered at her over his glasses.

Willow flushed and looked away from his gaze. "It could be. That's what Xander wants, after all," she said slightly bitterly.

"But not what you want?" he asked her pointedly. Willow bit her lip and refused to meet his gaze. "You can't change how you feel about someone," said Giles softly as he looked over at Jenny. She gave him a grin when she caught his look before returning to her conversation with Cordelia. "You just have to take the risk and let what will be, be. Have you told Xander how you feel?"

Willow's eyes widened, having finally looked up, and she shook her head frantically. "Why not?"

"Wha-w-what if he says no? What if he says **yes**? What if we break up? What if it ruins everything? I don't want to lose him..."

"As a friend?" Willow nodded slowly. Giles turned and looked back at Xander and Buffy. They had stopped kissing and now Xander was double checking his equipment while Buffy hovered near him, a small pleased smile on her face. He glanced over to the corner Angel was ensconced in to see him glowering at his two charges. He turned to the third child he realized he increasingly thought of as his own. He took a deep breath. "You need to decide then if you want Xander more as a friend than you do a lover."

"Lover?" asked a furiously blushing Willow in a strangled voice.

"Willow," sighed Giles, "that's a large part of the point of human relationships.

"But..." Giles sighed again as Willow lamely trailed off.

"Talk to Jenny about it," he told her as he walked over to the book cage. "And here I thought a woman's mind was an unbreachable mystery," he muttered to himself. "Teenagers are simply barmy."

Once everyone was ready, the group set off. They left Cordelia behind to think of a story to tell the parents and stall for time once Giles realized that the transformed children would have to be found and returned to the Trick-or-treat escort meeting point in the school cafeteria.

***BTVS***

"There's the store," pointed out Willow as the group marched up the street.

"Excellent. With any luck this'll all be finished soon," said Giles. Angel, who had taken point in order to be far from Xander and Buffy in the rear, stopped stock still. Giles only narrowly kept from crashing into him. "What is it?"

"I think you just jinxed us," said Angel as he scanned the street.

"What makes you say that?" asked Harris as he brought his gun up and scanned the street himself. He didn't see anything on the streets in front or behind them. Maybe up on the roofs?

"Me!" was all the warning Harris got before something barreled into him with all the force of a car. He was sent flying from the blow, over a parked car and into the middle of the street. He landed roughly, skidding along the asphalt before stopping. He fell still. Lady Elizabeth screamed as she watched the Captain be hurled away by a pale blonde man dressed in black. Their vampire ally crashed into her champion's assailant.

"Get to the store, now!" ordered Giles as he guided Jenny ahead of him. They started running, Willow a step behind them, and narrowly avoided the rush of monsters and vampires that emerged from between the buildings next to them. Giles turned slightly and fired a crossbow bolt. It struck home and the vampire burst into dust, dissuading any pursuers. He cursed when he was some monsters restrain Buffy as Spike and Angel fought. They would be overwhelmed soon. He ignored the twist in his gut and did not look to check on Xander's condition. Everything would be fine if they could just break the spell.

Lady Elizabeth cowered in fear as the demons grabbed hold of her. They dragged her over to where another group was holding their vampire ally captured. The blonde monster was kicking him in the ribs.

"Well that was a bit of a fine dust-up, I'd say. But you're not on the menu tonight," the monster turned a leer on Lady Elizabeth that made her renew her struggling. "She is." The monster looked her up and down. "Look at her, quaking in fear. Ooh, it gives me the shivers." The monster trembled in anticipation as it approached her. Surely her champion would return to save her? "The lion really has become the lamb. Usually I like some spunk in my girls, but I think this one'll still taste as sweet. Maybe even sweeter. After all, they do say third time's the charm." Surely her champion would protect her? He had sworn! The monster reached for her, its mouth gaping open to reveal a dark maw filled with sharp teeth. She shut her eyes and screamed.

"Alexander!"

***BTVS***

The three quickly stopped in front of Ethan's storefront. Giles tried the doors but found them unsurprisingly locked. "Willow, quickly, head inside, check for traps near the front doors."

"How am I- oh right, a ghost. Be right back," Willow ran through the front doors, disappearing into the interior. Jenny quickly turned and began scanning the street for something they could use to smash open the doors. "It's clear, there's nothing-ah!" Jenny spun back around at the sound of a large crash. Giles had impatiently jumped through Willow and the large glass set into the doors, his turban held protectively over his face. Jenny carefully followed as Giles tossed his turban aside and shrugged off the large overcoat he was wearing.

"Ethan!" bellowed Giles, startling the two women with him. "Ethan, you buggering bastard, get your arse out here!" Willow and Jenny stared at Giles as if they had never seen him before and so missed the man emerge from the rear of the store.

"Hello Ripper," said Ethan Rayne cheerfully as he gave a jaunty wave at his old friend. "It's been a while."

***BTVS***

Harris opened his eyes as his body shakily stood. For a moment he was completely disoriented. It was the strangest sensation, as if someone was moving his body from the inside. "Is that you kid?" he asked himself as he tried to clear his head. He could feel some ribs shifting and his collarbone throbbed near his right shoulder. His body took a shaky step forward. "Where are you going?" His head and eyes moved and locked onto the sight of Elizabeth being presented to a blonde dressed in black. The guy was talking to the other vampire. That voice, however- that was the one that attacked him! His body took another step. "Right, I read you loud and clear. You're hurt though, sure you want to do this?" He felt his body returning to his control as his hands gripped his rifle. "You've got balls, kid." Harris took a deep breath and ignored the tearing sensations in his chest. His body was no longer shaky as he took another step.

"Alexander!" Elizabeth's scream pierced the air. Harris ignored the pain that blossomed in his shoulder as he set his rifle and fired.

Spike screamed as his arm was torn into by a burst of gunfire. He spun to see the slayer's brat aiming a gun at him. He ducked behind the nearest parked car as another burst transited where his head had just been. "Dru said your fangs were pulled but not your claws. You're harder than I thought," muttered Spike. "Kill him!" he barked at his minions.

"Harris, you can shoot the vampires!" yelled Angel as the monsters and vampires not holding him and Buffy down surged around the cars and into the street.

Standing his ground, Harris forced his attackers to come to him and picked them off as they left the cover of the cars. A burst through the head was enough to keep the vampires down, though he wasn't sure if they would stay that way. He cursed the necessity of it when he kneecapped a sasquatch that was coming too close. That had probably been a transformed civvie. He couldn't let them close too soon, however. A small gremlin came in quickly and was immediately punted away. It ran off once it recovered. A vampire took to the air, leaping off the roof of a car. Harris drilled the vamp from groin to collarbone and stepped aside as it crashed into the ground with a wet splat.

He shot a large ogre in the shoulder. It decided that he was too much trouble and began to amble off. A line of bullets into the ground scared off a group of small demons. They retreated behind the parked cars.

***BTVS***

"I could have stood for having our reunion postponed indefinitely," growled Giles. "Now what the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"You wound me, Rupert. I just had the most marvelous idea to spread a little chaos and remind people that they should be careful what they wished for," said Ethan grandly as he spread his arms wide. "The Hellmouth just so happened to be the perfect place for the spell so I thought, 'Why don't I drop by and say hello to my old friend'? And here we are." Ethan snorted. "Imagine my disappointment when instead of finding Ripper I get," he motioned dismissively at Giles while he sneered, "this."

"You haven't changed at all," Giles sneered right back, "still as churlish and childish as ever. Do you have any idea how many people are being hurt by your _prank_?"

"Ah yes, because you are the grand champion of the sheep now, aren't you Rupert. You became just another dull, tweed wearing, asinine peeper for the Slayer and her ilk." Ethan's disdain was almost palpable. "Even though you used to swear you _never_ would. You used to be so much better than this, _Ripper_."

"That's not who I am anymore."

"Oh, isn't it?" asked Ethan with a leering grin. "I think," he said slowly as he began to pace, "you're just desperately putting on an act, a mask, like all those sheep out there did tonight. Only you _wish_ yours was as real as I've made theirs. But I can see through it," he said teasingly in a sing-song voice. "I _know_ who you are and what you're capable of. And I see you have the same taste in fine birds," he said as his eyes roamed lustily over Jenny's body. Her look of curiosity and confusion over the two men's conversation turned into a hard glare. She made no move to cover her body but set herself in a stiff stance that clearly conveyed that she was something Ethan could never have.

***BTVS***

"What the bloody hell are you idiots doing? It's just one man! One **human** man! How the hell is he kicking your arses!?" screamed Spike as he peeked from behind his cover. He ducked back down as a volley of bullets smashed the windows he was looking through.

Before the empty clip hit the ground Harris was already slapping in a fresh one. He mentally noted he had one more cartridge before he ran out. A long burst into the cars in front of him made the monsters all pause in their charge. He took careful aim now at the monsters holding down Angel when his gun was yanked out of his hands. he spun down and to the right, slipping out of the gun strap easily.

The vampire he'd shot out of the air earlier now had his rifle. The vampire spun quickly and flung the gun as far as he could. His spin turned him full circle toward Harris as the rifle continued sailing over some buildings. Instead of turning to face a disarmed meal he found a Colt 1911 in his face. The large bore bullet blew out the back of the vampire's skull, taking most of the brain with it. Harris smoothly unsheathed his knife with his off hand. He had seven shots in the clip, the eighth in the chamber having just been used. He needed to make each shot count.

***BTVS***

"Willow, get out, now," ordered Giles, his hard gaze never wavering from Ethan.

Willow looked back and forth between the two men, confusion and concern warring on her face. "But-"

"Now!" barked Giles as he turned a furious glare on Willow. She blanched and ran back out of the store. Ethan strolled closer to Giles and Jenny.

"Aren't you going to send your bitch along as well?" asked Ethan tauntingly. While Jenny bristled at the insult Giles merely stepped forward and leveled Ethan with a punch to the jaw.

"Tell me how to break the spell, Ethan," ordered Giles uncompromisingly as Ethan picked himself back up.

"Now why would I do that?" asked Ethan pleasantly, ignoring the pain in his jaw.

"I'll let you leave town. Alive," growled Giles. Jenny glanced at him briefly before glaring again at Ethan.

"You're not that hard, nancy boy," said Ethan teasingly. The grin on his face vanished when Giles punched him in the stomach. Giles roughly grabbed Ethan's hair and jerked his head up, breaking Ethan's nose with a right. Giles then kicked Ethan in the bollocks before tossing him to the ground.

***BTVS***

The other monsters, seeing the rifle gone and assuming the pistol was some form of close range weapon, charged again. More monsters joined the group, drawn by the large commotion. Harris charged directly at the oncoming horde.

Shot one went into the head of one of the vampires holding Angel down, allowing Angel to strike out at his lone remaining captor and free himself. Harris immediately ducked down under a large swing and sliced the hamstring of a troll.

Two went into the shoulders of one of the monsters holding Elizabeth down. Harris kicked a foot out, catching a vampire in the crotch. As it doubled over Harris thrust his knife up into the thing's throat. Twisting the knife as he pulled it out, Harris reached around the vampires head with his gun hand, putting the vampire in a handless headlock. He twisted sharply, snapping the vampires neck.

Three went into another vampire's face and was followed quickly by a kick that sent the body into the monsters behind it. The charging monsters fell into a tangle as Harris darted past them.

Four went into a gladiator's knee. He ignored the bear head on the fallen gladiator as he moved passed it. He rolled between the legs of a large gorilla thing and cut its left hamstring as he stood.

Five went into an unlucky vampire that had popped its head out from behind a car. A hop forward let Harris punt a dwarf out of his path.

Six went into the hip joint of some strange crab/man mix. He cursed as he saw Angel be brought down by a pile of monsters.

He ran full tilt, ignoring the claws that shallowly cut into his left shoulder, and slid across the hood of the car between him and Elizabeth. Spike leapt out from behind the car and snagged Harris around the neck.

"That's enough out of you, soddin' bastard!" snarled Spike. Seven went through the blonde's eye.

***BTVS***

"Tell me how to break the spell," ordered Giles calmly. His tone jarred harshly against the aura of violence radiating off of him.

"Say pretty please," spit out Ethan through his grimace as he cradled his battered testicles. Giles answer was a kick to the ribs.

***BTVS***

Or it was supposed to. Spike twitched as Harris pulled the trigger and the bullet only ripped his right ear apart. Harris threw the empty pistol into Spike's chest. Spike looked down incredulously as the gun clattered to the floor. He snorted. "Doesn't work against Superman, doesn't work against-argh!"

Harris twisted the knife in the vampire's triceps. He held onto his knife as he was dropped, the knife coming out of the blonde's arm. He lunged forward to bury the knife into the thing's neck when a kick from it launched him into the brick wall behind him. The pain in his chest jumped exponentially, his hand involuntarily dropping the knife.

***BTVS***

"Oi, how do I break the fucking spell, tosser?" growled Giles as he cracked his knuckles.

A fit of coughing later and Ethan was grinning up at Giles. "Hello there Ripper. Miss me?" he asked jovially. Giles glare darkened and he stepped back for another kick. He froze when another foot was mashed into the side of Ethan's head. Giles looked over in surprise. He had completely forgotten about Jenny.

"We don't have time for this," said Jenny as she ground her foot into Ethan's head, "so let me lay it all out for you. This 'bitch', as you put it, is now completely pissed at you. But I'm not just _any_ bitch, I'm a crazy _gypsy_ bitch whose family and friends you have put in danger. I swear on the honor of my tribe and ancestors that if anyone I care about is hurt because you didn't tell us how to end the spell, I will take my vengeance from you in this life **and** the next!"

Giles stared at this woman in her full fury. Blimey she was gorgeous. Sensing his gaze, Jenny glanced at him. He blew her a kiss. She seemed startled for a moment. Then she gave him a very predatory grin and licked her lips before winking at him. Giles schooled his features and crouched down so he could face Ethan.

"That's quite a fine piece of-" Ethan reflexively closed his eyes as Giles' finger came dangerously close to one of them. Giles set his finger against Ethan's eyelid and pushed softly, slowly increasing his pressure. "The bust! Break the bust of Janus in the back!" squeaked out Ethan desperately. Giles and Jenny immediately headed for the curtained off doorway leading to the back of the store.

***BTVS***

Spike rushed forward as Harris began to slump against the wall. Spike grabbed the boy around the chin and pinned him to the wall which left his neck exposed. "Nice try Quartermain, but in the end, you're still just food. And after I finish with you I'm going to drain her. And I'm going to _savor_ it."

***BTVS***

On the other side of the curtain was a bust of Janus set on a column. The bust's eyes were glowing green. Giles stepped forward but was stopped by Jenny's hand on his shoulder. When he turned a questioning look on her she simply stepped past him, muttering something under her breath that he couldn't catch before throwing some powder from one of her pouches into the air.

***BTVS***

"You talk too fucking much, limey bitch," forced out Harris through gritted teeth.

"I a-ugh!" Spike's retort was lost by the interruption of Harris shoving something metallic into his mouth, almost knocking in his teeth to do so.

"Eat grenade!" said Harris triumphantly as he slid to the ground, his strength completely spent.

Spike stumbled back as he tried frantically to pull the grenade out with his one good hand. The explosive was jammed tightly between his teeth and he couldn't stretch his jaw wider in order to loosen it. He couldn't believe the bugger was that crazy! At this range the grenade would take the boy out as well!

***BTVS***

A yellow ring of light emerged from the floor around the bust. It glowed bright for a moment before dissolving with the sound of breaking glass. Giles growled as he stepped up to the bust. The ward could've seriously injured him if Jenny hadn't broken it first. He took great relish in smashing the bust of Janus against the floor, imagining it to be Ethan's head as he did so.

When they exited the backroom they found Ethan gone. "We've got some things to talk about, don't we?" said Jenny softly.

"Yes," answered Giles, "but we should check on the children firstly."

***BTVS***

The grenade suddenly crumpled in his mouth. Spike quickly spit the now crumpled piece of plastic out of his mouth. He could've sworn that the grenade had been metal just a moment ago. He idly noted his arm was now completely normal as he turned a smirk on the whelp. "Have to hand it to you mate, you almost had me with your little toy. But it seems midnight has struck and your cart is a pumpkin again, Cinderella."

"Good thing the glass slipper still fits." Spike turned only to have a punch send him to the floor. He rolled back onto his feet to see the Slayer pull a wig off her head. Behind her he noticed several adults and children also pulling off their masks. To his side, Angel was moving a bunch of kids off of himself.

"Right, time to clear off then," he said before turning and leaping over a parked car and rushing off into the darkness, his minions trailing behind him. Buffy made to follow when a hacking cough from Xander pulled her attention. She rushed over to him after he spit out an alarming amount of blood.

"Oh my god, Xander," she cried as she hurried to his side. He was breathing shallowly, wincing as he did so. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Healings already kicking in," said Xander softly as he struggled to his feet. Buffy helped him up and moved under one of his arms when he wobbled unsteadily.

"I'm glad we changed back. How could that guy have used a grenade when you were so close!? You could've been killed!"

"It would've been worth it," Xander muttered softly. Buffy turned a sharp glare at him.

"What? Why? You would've died!"

"To keep you safe," whispered Xander as he locked eyes with Buffy, "it would have been worth it to keep you safe, milady."

Buffy blushed brilliantly before bashfully glancing away. "Why?"

Unsure exactly what she was asking, Xander smiled at the girl under his arm and gave her the only answer that really mattered. "Because I-" was as far as he got before he was interrupted by coughing fit. He turned away from Buffy and spit out another mouthful of blood. "Ugh, this sucks," he muttered, the mood pretty much ruined.

"Xander, Buffy, are you alright ?" asked Giles as he and Jenny ran up to them. Now the mood was beyond recovery.

"Just peachy keen," bit out Xander as he frowned at his guardian's timing.

"No," said Buffy sharply as she glared at Xander, "he's hurt badly." Xander wilted under her furious gaze.

"I'll just need a bed. I'll be fine by tomorrow." Xander bore Giles' scrutiny as well as he could.

"What happened here?" asked Jenny as she looked around at all the confused trick-or-treaters around them.

"Harris tried to take on a horde of monsters by himself," grumbled Angel from beside Buffy as he frowned at the arm draped over Buffy's shoulders.

"Not tried, did, Deadboy," spit back Xander.

"You two, now is _really_ not the time," admonished Buffy. She couldn't believe they were fighting now of all times.

"Yes, there is still the matter of escorting all the children back to the school," said Giles as he polished his glasses. The group looked around and saw scattered clumps of children huddled together in confusion and not a little fear.

"I reiterate," muttered Xander, "this sucks." They certainly had a long night ahead of them and all he wanted to do now was lay down and sleep.

***BTVS***

Buffy froze as she stepped into her room. After the insanity of the day she was ready to get some rest. She'd spent the evening trapped in her own body, experiencing everything but unable to control anything. And after all that had happened the last thing she wanted to do tonight was talk to Angel. She closed her door completely and made sure it was locked. "Hi."

"Hey." Angel watched the emotions run across her face when she spotted him. After Xander let slip that he remembered everything that happened Angel wanted to check on Buffy and see how she was handling it. And not just because she would remember kissing Xander. "Are you okay?" he asked her as he stepped away from the window.

Hugging herself Buffy stepped over to her bed before sitting down. "I'll live. I didn't have a scratch on me thanks to," Buffy paused and glanced briefly at Angel who was looking away from her and scowling, "to the Captain." She didn't think it would be good to mention Xander too much.

"Yeah, that's good. I'm grateful for that," admitted Angel grudgingly.

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," said Buffy. Angel caught her eyes for a moment before looking away again.

"I just don't like the guy," he said lamely.

"I guessed that much," said Buffy dryly, making Angel grimace briefly as he once again recalled the moment in the library.

"Do you," Angel trailed off, unsure if he wanted to ask so directly. He finally decided that he had to know. "Do you remember everything? Like _Harris_?"

She ignored the peculiar lilt in his voice when he talked about Xander. For a moment she considered lying to him. Honestly she wanted to lie to herself as well. Things hadn't been exactly clear, what with being the Slayer and Angel being a vampire. But at least she knew who she liked. And how she liked them.

"Yeah," she said softly, "yeah, I remember." She heard Angel's jaw click shut. It seemed he didn't know what to say either. "It wasn't me who did all, uh, that. But I remember everything they did to my body. But that wasn't me." Angel nodded as eager to believe her as she was herself. She wished that she hadn't overheard Giles and Xander talking as they dropped Xander off.

_"It must have been awful for you to not be in control of yourself," said Giles as he helped Xander into their house._

_"It wasn't all that bad, actually. And I was able to take control."_

_"Really?" asked Giles with keen interest. "When was this?"_

_"After Spike tackled me. I made myself get up. I'm just glad Captain Harris let me risk my body like that."_

_"You were that gravely injured?" asked an alarmed Giles._

_"Didn't matter. I needed to save Buffy."_

Only Xander would understand exactly what happened to the both of them tonight. Willow had simply been turned into a ghost, but she hadn't been spiritually displaced. Xander and Buffy experienced everything that happened tonight as if they could feel, see, touch, sense it for themselves. But the connection didn't go one way. She experienced tonight as both Lady Elizabeth and as Buffy. She retained memories of the Ducal daughter's life. She retained the memories of her emotions. And now she wasn't sure where her emotions ended and Lady Elizabeth's emotions began. Did she kiss Xander because that's what Lady Elizabeth wanted or because it's what Buffy wanted?

Even if it's something her alter-ego wanted, why did she want to experience it again? She was in love with Angel. Wasn't she?

"So, uh, that must have been awful then?" asked Angel hopefully.

"Yeah, tonight has just been terrible," said Buffy as she turned away from Angel and bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she was simply lying to Angel or to herself. "I'm really tired and I'd just like to get some sleep." She nearly jumped when Angel sat down next to her.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said as he stared into her eyes. God, he was gorgeous.

"I'll manage," she whispered as he cradled a cheek and leaned forward. They kissed each other, a bit roughly, a bit desperately, but with a blazing passion.

But a nagging thought remained in the back of Buffy's head. Where was the searing heat that she felt when she kissed Xander?

***BTVS***

Giles and Jenny sat across from each other on the couch in his living room. Xander had been put to bed. He was already healing nicely and hadn't needed someone to help him up the stairs. Now all the day's work was done and they could finally sit down and have their much anticipated talk.

"So," said Giles. He glanced at Jenny before looking away again.

"So," said Jenny, dragging out the word while she thought about what to say. She couldn't come up with anything.

There was a long moment of silence.

"I used to be a black mage," said Giles softly. "Ethan and I, and some other likeminded friends, used drugs, got into fights, and shagged whoever we fancied. It was quite an orgy of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. And then we got one of our friends killed. We all went our separate ways then and I went off to join the family business, as it were." Giles glanced at Jenny again to find her staring raptly at him. He forced himself to meet her gaze. "It took a while but I grew out of it. Became who I am today." He looked down at his hands shamefully. "It seems that they're still some of the old me left. A lot more than I thought, really."

"There's a time and a place for it," said Jenny consolingly, "and I'm glad that you can go there and not get lost. We all have a bit of darkness inside of us. You just know yours better and can use it when its needed."

Giles smiled at her, glad that she still accepted him, that she accepted all of him, really. His smile slowly faded. "Speaking of, it seems I don't know you as well as I would like."

She sighed, wondering exactly what she should tell him. Her gaze drifted as she weighed her options when she spotted the bloody tissues she'd used to clean up Xander.

_"I'm not trying to embarrass you," whispered Xander to her while Giles was in the kitchen filling a basin with warm water, "but I'm really glad you and Giles are together. And that you're not afraid to show it." He turned away from her and blushed. If he did remember everything then he remembered Captain Harris checking her out. "I'd never really seen two people like that before. I'm not sure why my parents are still together. They never showed anything but contempt for each other. I'm glad I could see what two people in love looks like. It makes me feel happy just watching the two of you." Xander then grimaced, "but could you please try doing it where I won't keep running into you?"_

"I wasn't born Jenny Calendar. I was born Janna Calderesh. I am Romani."

"I gathered as much. It must be hard to be away from your family." Jenny realized that this could be her way out. That she could still keep her secret. She looked at Giles smiling face. He really did just want to get to know her. God damn it. Why did she have to fall in love?

"I was sent here, by my family."Giles smile melted into a slight frown. Jenny realized that he was more concerned for her than for the implications of her statement. "In order to watch."

Giles whole attention was focused on his lover. "To watch what?" he asked slowly. Jenny's ties to the occult as well as to the Romani made for a dangerous combination. He wondered briefly if this had all been a trap before furiously squashing that thought.

"Angel." Giles furrowed his brow in confusion. Why on Earth would the Romani be interested in-

"Oh. _Oh_. Oh dear."


End file.
